Shooting In GF Police Department

Here is an article from the local news paper, must have been a slow day in news. I think we in the blogger world might know a person involved. This is a little slice of heaven.

Grand Forks Hearald Reports:

GF police release man who says his box of ammunition dropped in police lobby, one round went off
By Chuck Haga, Herald Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Grand Forks police have released a man held for questioning after police responded to what sounded like a gunshot in the lobby of the law enforcement building shortly before 10 this morning.


"We heard a shot go off in the hallway," said Capt. Kerwin Kjelstrom, one of about five officers who responded to the shot from the detectives' room.

"A number of us ran out and found sitting on the stairwell a gentleman who said he dropped a box of ammunition and one round went off," Kjelstrom said.


The man, identified by police as John Hammen of Grand Forks, was taken to an interviewing room.


Kjelstrom said police recovered a box of ammunition on the floor "with a corner blown off."


"At this point, that supports his story," Kjelstrom said.


Police also recovered a .45-caliber gun, which was returned to Hammen when he was released shortly before 11 a.m. Kjelstrom said Hammen told police he brought the weapon and ammunition to the police department and planned to meet someone who had authorized him to use the department's shooting range, located in the basement.


Kjelstrom and other officers said it is unusual for a round to go off if dropped, but something may have struck the firing cap.


Officers found the .45-caliber round behind seating by windows near the main entrance on the west side of the law enforcement building. It was undamaged and appeared not to have struck anything before settling behind the window seating. When a round goes off outside a chamber, the force behind the shell may be dissipated, officers said.


Still, the loud report -- Kjelstrom likened it to a clipboard falling hard onto the floor -- got hearts racing.


"This is a police department, and there are people who are not happy with us," Kjelstrom said, explaining the concern of officers who responded.


"You hear a round go off, and everybody wonders what are we going to find when we go out the door. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, there were no injuries."


Kjelstrom said he cannot recall anything like this morning's incident happening at the law enforcement center.


Police closed the lobby about 10:05 a.m. and used yellow tape to close off part of the lobby near the stairwell. Doors were locked at the main and Fifth Street entrances until about 11 a.m.


Kjelstrom said there will be "a review of how people come in (to the law enforcement building) and how weapons are secured and how they use our range."