Officer’s gun accidentally discharges as he tries to break up fight at Reno Rodeo; 3 slightly hurt

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Three people were slightly injured by debris after an officer’s gun accidentally discharged while he was trying to break up a fight on the Reno Rodeo grounds, police said.

A Washoe County Sheriff’s deputy was responding to a domestic violence incident at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center when one of the people involved began fighting with the deputy around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

Reno police said plainclothes officers responded to help. They were unable to immediately reach the scene because of the large crowd, so one officer jumped a fence.

The officer’s holster got caught in the fence and that dislodged his handgun, which fell to the ground and fired off a single round, police said.

The three people with minor injuries were treated by medical personnel at the scene. The Gazette Journal said they were injured “due to debris.”

Police were working to determine if there was a malfunction with the holster or firearm.

Reno TV station KRNV was the first to report the incident.