Dancing FBI agent loses gun during backflip, accidentally shoots bar patron
DENVER -- An off-duty FBI agent dancing at a Denver nightclub accidentally discharged a firearm, wounding another patron in the leg, police said Saturday. The victim, an adult male, was rushed to a local hospital in good condition, said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson.
Police have refused to identify the hospital.
Jackson said the agent, whose identity wasn't released, was dancing at the downtown club around 12:45 a.m. Saturday when the firearm fell from the agent's waistband holster onto the floor. It discharged when the agent picked it up.
Police investigators interviewed the agent before releasing the agent to an FBI supervisor. The police investigation was continuing, and any charges would be determined by the Denver District Attorney's Office, said Officer Marika Putnam.
Video posted on social media shows the FBI agent dancing and doing a back flip at which point the firearm hits the ground and the agent picking it up and a gunshot goes off.
In a statement, an FBI spokesperson said "the investigation is active, ongoing, and a personnel matter so we cannot provide comment at this time." The spokesperson did not provide answers to a request for information on what firearms protocol may be in place for off-duty agents.
It's unclear if the FBI agent was drinking and authorities are awaiting blood tests to determine if alcohol was a factor in the incident, CBS Denver reports. Surveillance footage is also being reviewed.
Tamara Oswald, who just moved in to the apartments nearby, told CBS Denver the shooting was not the warm welcome she was hoping for.
"It's kind of crazy because it's almost like I'm back in (Philadelphia) again. And I thought I was getting away from it," Oswald said.
Witnesses at the bar said they heard the victim shout for help. Paramedics rushed the victim to a hospital.