McClain Co. Sheriff releases official report after accidental discharge at Blanchard school

BLANCHARD, Okla. (KFOR) — The McClain County Sheriff's Office has released an official report after a school resource deputy's gun went off on the Blanchard Elementary School playground last week.

The MCSO says the deputy was handing out stickers to several students while sitting on a wooden bench prior to the incident. While helping one of the kids zip up their jacket, the deputy heard his gun go off.

The child who was on the deputy's gun side reportedly told the deputy and a teacher that he made the gun "shoot."

Detectives conducted a series of tests to recreate the incident and also inspected the deputy's service pistol. During the investigation, they found that there was a "significant gap" between the gun's trigger guard and the trigger guard of the holster that allowed the trigger to be easily manipulated while inside the holster.

The MCSO had also previously told News 4 that the deputy's gun, identified in the report as a SIG Sauer P320, is a model widely used by law enforcement agencies and did not feature a safety switch.

The sheriff's office determined through the investigation that a child was able to access the gun's trigger while it was still in the holster, causing it to fire.

Additionally, the report mentions that deputies currently provide their own service pistols and duty holsters. The sheriff's office says they are reviewing the deputies' weapons systems and will review options going forward.

The full report can be read below.