Fresno Sheriff Had No Secondary Holster Policy When Deputy Was Killed with Secondary Weapon

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department had no secondary weapons holster policy when Deputy Sgt. Rod Lucas was shot in the chest and killed with a secondary weapon.

Lucas was 46 years old when he was killed on October 31, 2016.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucas and a detective, now identified as 34-year-old Jared Mullis, were discussing the carry of backup weapons when Mullis’ backup weapon accidentally discharged, firing a bullet that struck Lucas in the chest. The Times reported that Lucas and Mullis “were in a room with two other colleagues and there was no dispute, just a conversation about weapons safety.”

Sheriff Margaret Mims said, “The detective had his weapon out. During this discussion, the detective’s weapon discharged,” the sheriff said. “Sgt. Lucas was struck by the bullet in his chest, and he dropped to the ground.”

The Fresno Bee now reports that “the sheriff’s office had no approved holsters policy for safely securing secondary guns.” A new Cal-OSHA report to the county recommends the implementation of a policy that would govern second holsters just like primary ones.

The Cal-OSHA report comes after the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Detective Mullis. The complaint “includes a charge of involuntary manslaughter with a gun enhancement.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.