Police Dog Accidentally Fires Gun In Lawrence
LAWRENCE (CBS) - A gun went off near a home in Lawrence early Sunday and it appears that a dog was the shooter.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
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It all started around 2 a.m. when a Lawrence police officer heard at least three gunshots and saw a vehicle speed away.
"At one point, the vehicle stopped and an individual in the rear passenger seat got out, appeared to bury something in the snow, and then get back in the vehicle," Lawrence Police Chief John Romero told WBZ-TV.
When police stopped the car, they found a shell casing. That was when Ivan, a K-9 from the Essex County Sherrif's Department, was brought in to find the weapon.
"He went out on an article search into a snowbank and showed me a behavior change and pointed his head into a snow bank," said Lt. John Pickles, who has been working with Ivan for almost a year. "And when he did, he also brought his paw into the snow, and he pulled it back out and in doing so discharged the weapon."
A shot rang out, fired by Ivan's paw.
"I have no idea where the bullet went," Pickles said. "Some people think it may have gone behind us and toward the house, but we couldn't tell for sure where that bullet was. It was never recovered."
The residents in the nearby house didn't find any bullet holes, and fortunately no one was hurt.
"I've been in the business for 43 years," Romero said. "I've seen a lot of K-9's locate weapons, and this is the first time I've ever seen this happen."
Romero said the gun the dog found was reported stolen from Manchester, New Hampshire.
The three men arrested are facing numerous charges and will be in court Monday.
