A 26-year-old Phoenix man accidentally killed himself early Sunday while explaining gun safety to two Sierra Vista residents.
Samuel Benally Jr. was at an apartment on West Tacoma Street when he said guns should be kept unloaded because people could point them at their heads, said Sierra Vista police Sgt. Brett Mitchell.
Benally then demonstrated by putting his own 9mm Ruger, which he believed to be unloaded, to his head and firing it, Mitchell said.
Benally was flown to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Mitchell said.
An investigation is ongoing, but police do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved, Mitchell said.
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12:45 pm on May 20th, 2009
This is a terrible tragedy. This officer was trying to help his community and ended up suffering from the same type accident he was trying to prevent. Hopefully some good can be taken from this incident and people will learn that accidents like this can happen to anyone, even the most skilled gun handlers.
12:50 pm on May 20th, 2009
While a personal trageedy, the officer should not have pointed the pistol at his head (or anything he wasn’t going to shoot!), and if he were determined to do that, he should have verified that his firearm did not have a round chambered. I made the same mistake several years ago & put a bullet through my wrist. A lifelong fiream owner, I knew better.
p.s. your diagram has misspellings and parts mislabelled.
1:12 pm on May 20th, 2009
Explain to me how this could “happen to anyone”? You act as if the gun malfunctioned and he was a victim of a horrible accident. He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Explain to me how this has any place in a class room teaching gun safety? I still dont understand the logic of this very short article. “guns should be kept unloaded because people could point them at their heads” and then he proceeds to show what someone would do thinking the gun is unloaded? I dont get it. I call it a suicide.
1:14 pm on May 20th, 2009
EDIT: I see your username. haha got me.
1:22 pm on May 20th, 2009
1) The article never mentions that the victim is an officer.
2) Nothing mentions how experienced he was.
3) While mentioning the #3 rule of firearms safety (ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use), he forgot the first 2:
1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
This was NOT an accident. It was a MISTAKE. Unfortunately, a fatal mistake.
Pat C
Certified Pistol Instructor
Hunter Safety Instructor
40+ year Hangun User