ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.- A sheriff's deputy showing a handgun to friends at his birthday party accidentally shot himself in the face, killing himself, authorities said Saturday.
Matt Barnes, 26, told guests at the Friday night celebration his .45-caliber revolver was not loaded, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. He pulled the trigger around 10:30 p.m., authorities said, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Barnes, who had been a deputy for two years, was off duty at the time of the accident. The sheriff's office said alcohol was believed to have been involved.
Barnes' fiancee witnessed the shooting, authorities said.
"It is a tragic, tragic story," Sheriff David Shoar told The St. Augustine Record for Sunday's edition. "He was there with seven or eight friends. Sometime during the evening, he picked up the handgun and was showing it around when it accidentally discharged, killing him."
The shooting remained under investigation.
Grief counselors were helping deputies cope with the loss, Shoar said.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted by: 94c
dumbass
Posted by: lofu
You would think as a LEO he would have known better. I guess it's a classic case of natural selection though. I do feel bad that his fiance had to witness it.
Posted by: justanotherparatrooper
What they said
Posted by: extremesgs
"Re: This is nothing short of insulting! sounds like an accident to me.
let's reserve judgment til we hear from the victim." (from another post)
94C,
don't you think we should wait til we hear about the investigation, or is that just for MA cops?
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops