Posted on 05/10/2003 6:10:08 PM PDT by IoCaster
Sun 11 May 2003
Prince Andrew escapes death from bodyguard's shot
TOM CURTIS
PRINCE Andrew narrowly escaped being killed when his personal detective accidently fired his gun, it was revealed last night.
The bullet narrowly missed the prince, passing through a desk and a wall before becoming embedded in a corridor 10ft from where the Duke of York was standing.
The experienced officer reported to be responsible, Detective Sergeant Jeff Fuller, is said to have been relegated to unarmed duties pending an inquiry by Scotland Yard.
It is the third time there has been a firearms accident involving royal protection officers in the past three years.
The latest accident is said to have happened while Fuller was unloading his gun at the prince's Berkshire mansion, Sunninghill Park.
Last night a source said: "As soon as the shot was fired the prince dived for cover. Obviously at that point he had no idea what was happening. The bullet went through a desk, through a wall and into the wall of the corridor. Andrew was about 10ft from where it ended up."
Details of the incident, which happened a fortnight ago, have only just emerged. Scotland Yard issued a statement last night saying: "On April 25 a Metropolitan Police officer accidentally discharged a firearm while unloading it.
"No one was injured. As is routine, the officer has been taken off firearms duties pending the outcome of an inquiry."
Buckingham Palace said the accident was "a police matter".
Fuller, 48, has been Andrew's personal bodyguard for 12 years and previously worked with the Queen and Princess Anne. Protection officers are armed with Austrian-made Glock semi-automatic pistols, which fire steel-jacketed rounds at 1,350ft per second.
Regulations are understood to state that unless absolutely necessary, armed officers should not load, unload or clean their weapons inside royal households.
That is supposed to be carried out in a designated armoury.
Andrew, 43, has lived alone at Sunninghill Park since his divorce in 1996, although daughters Beatrice, 14, and Eugenie, 12, visit regularly along with his ex-wife, the Duchess of York.
In June 2000, Royal Train bodyguard PC Michael Slade accidentally fired a shot in the dining coach as he took his gun from his holster, and another as he tried to make the gun safe.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were sleeping nearby.
In 2001, PC Michael Aldridge fired a shot from his Glock pistol as he checked it in at the end of his shift at Buckingham Palace just after the Queen had left for Windsor. No one was injured.
That's true. I can't break down my Glocks without doing that; part of the standard routine. BUT, you clear the weapon first, and double-check that it's cleared of all rounds. THEN you pull the trigger and proceed with disassembly, which takes about 5 seconds more once you get used to it.
I luv my Glocks.
the same problem continue with glocks,people put the finger on the trigger and disable the safety,result= accidental discharge.
that is why new gun owners should stay away from such weapon
Absolutely correct. Unfortunately it seems to happen every now and then. Its a weak part of the design that manifests itself mainly with people that aren't used to handling guns from birth, like guys from NYC and England. I'd bet money that thats what happened with the prince's bodyguard.
"I thought you said this thing wasn't loaded?"
"Look at me... I'm Billy the Kid."
"Watch how I can spin this thing...."
How do they do that gun shootin' thing in Texas?"
I was just cleaning it."
"It didn't look real..."
"The new Sherrif's in town."
"Hey...look what I found..."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.