L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and FBI officials Friday confirmed an Aug. 9 training incident that left a Pitchess Detention Center inmate “grazed by a ricocheted bullet” fired by federal agents using a nearby firing range.
The incident also left several vehicles parked nearby struck by gunfire, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department sent via email Friday afternoon by Nicole Nishida, LASD communications manager.
The shooting prompted notifications to the department’s Major Crimes Bureau, the Sheriff’s Crime Lab, and Weapons Training Unit, which investigated the incident, according to a departmental email.
No other injuries were reported, according to LASD officials.
“Investigators learned that the errant bullets originated from the range utilized by the FBI,” according to the department’s statement. “Sheriff’s personnel and the FBI debriefed the incident, and the range has been subsequently closed.”
An FBI official issued a statement in response to questions about the shooting Friday, acknowledging the agency has its own range in Orange County, but occasionally uses the LASD’s with permission as a courtesy.
The agency is conducting its own review into the incident, which happened during a quarterly firearms training, according to Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the L.A. office.
“One individual was unintentionally wounded and treated for a superficial injury,” she wrote Friday afternoon. “The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.”
Sheriff’s Department officials were not available Friday to confirm how many vehicles were damaged by the gunfire.
