Indio Police Officer Accidentally Shoots Bullet Into Flower Bed During Traffic Stop

(via Flickr)
(via Flickr)
(via Flickr)

The tragic events in Ferguson Missouri have left Americans a little on edge with many closely monitoring police officers and how they use their firearms. Which makes it surprising, that of all the days for it to happen, Tuesday morning an Indio Police Officer accidentally fired a round from his gun into a bed of flowers during a traffic stop. From The Desert Sun:

Police department spokesman Sgt. Dan Marshall said the shooting occurred about 5 a.m., as an officer approached a man in a parked car outside of a house on the 49400 block of Violet Street, near the Indio Polo grounds.

The officer inadvertently squeezed the trigger. Investigators believe the bullet flew harmlessly into a flower bed at the edge of the street, Marshall said.

Marshall said the officer felt it was necessary to draw his gun based on the “actions” of the man inside the car. No more specifics were provided.

A neighbor claims that the man in the car had returned from working the graveyard shift as a security guard and was sleeping in the car when the officer arrived.

The officer was not identified and authorities are investigating.