An investigation into a May 5 incident in which a Lino Lakes police officer was struck by a bullet at an Anoka County gun range has concluded that the shooting was an accident.
Officer Chad Schirmers, 26, was struck in the abdomen by a ricochet bullet, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
"There was clearly no purposeful firing at Schirmers," the BCA said in a news release Friday.
The accident occurred at the Anoka County Law Enforcement Range in Coon Rapids.
According to the BCA, Schirmers and two other Lino Lakes officers were participating in a drill that required them to move around the range and to shoot at several targets.
Each had a .40 caliber handgun. The BCA said that damage to the bullet made it impossible to determine from which gun it was fired.
Schirmers was not wearing a bulletproof vest during the drill, the BCA said.
He has returned to light duty and is expected to be back to full duty in the coming weeks.
