Liaison officer’s gun accidentally discharges at middle school in Janesville

JANESVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) - A school liaison officer’s gun accidentally discharged Monday at Edison Middle School in Janesville, prompting an investigation in search of answers. The School District of Janesville sent an email to Edison Middle School families Monday afternoon concerning the incident.

According to the email from Superintendent Mark Holzman, a school liaison officer was removing their backpack when it contacted the butt of their service firearm, causing it to discharge on the floor of their office.

The officer’s gun was properly secured in the holster. Nobody was injured during this incident, Holzman said.

The main office staff immediately reported the incident to the district office. The officer notified their superiors at the Janesville Police Department.

JPD supervisors arrived at the middle school to investigate the incident. The supervisors concluded that there was no identifiable reason why the firearm discharged while it was secured in the holster.

JPD is sending the firearm and holster to the firearm manufacturer, Smith and Wesson, for an in-depth examination. The police department also said it will follow up with both the ammunition and holster manufacturers, Winchester and Safariland, respectively, to identify potential defects that contributed to the discharge.

Larry, an Edison Middle School parent, believes that someone must be held accountable for the incident.

“I want someone to be held liable because if it was just any civilian out on the street and our guns accidentally go off, whether we have a concealed carry or we’re open carrying and our gun accidentally goes off, if we’re out in public or even at home, we would be charged with negligence on our gun,” Larry said.