ATHOL — There will be no criminal charges sought in connection with a May 30 accidental shooting of a civilian observer during an Athol Police Department firearms training session, but the town’s police chief has suspended in-house firearms training pending a thorough internal investigation into what caused the incident.
Russell Kleber has also begun a review of all departmental training policies and any policies regarding observation of training sessions, and has reached out to former colleagues at the FBI’s Boston Field Office and Boston firearms unit to conduct re-training of all officers involved in the incident.
“While I am pleased that the independent investigation by the State Police attached to the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office is closed, I want to assure the members of the department and the citizens of Athol that we have initiated a complete review of policies, procedures and equipment associated with firearms training to ensure the safety of all,” Kleber said.
The victim sustained a non-life threatening wound to his upper rear leg area, according to Northwestern District Attorney spokeswoman Mary Carey, and was treated and released from a nearby hospital.
An investigation into the incident by the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit found the shooting was “accidental in nature,” according to Carey.