No shooting charge for police chief

No charges will be filed against the Carter Lake police chief who accidentally shot a police sergeant Wednesday at the police station, the Pottawattamie County attorney said today.

About 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Police Chief Shawn Kannedy was showing Sgt. Dan Driver and another officer, Joshua Driscoll, how magazines of two different Smith & Wessons pistols were interchangeable, County Attorney Matt Wilber said. A live bullet was in Kannedy's gun, and the gun went off.

A bullet struck Driver in the lower abdomen just beneath his bulletproof vest, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said.

Driver, 49, was taken to Creighton University Medical Center in a police cruiser about 3 p.m.

Carter Lake city officials indicated later that he was in good condition and would make a full recovery. He may be released from the hospital today.

The bullet that struck Driver has not been removed, Danker said.

Reached by phone late Wednesday, Kannedy declined to comment. Carter Lake city officials referred to a brief press release issued Wednesday night and said there would be no further comment.

Kannedy, 41, has been placed on administrative leave.

Wilber said there is a law in Iowa regarding the reckless discharge of a firearm, but that would involve more than just negligence.

Officers rarely are charged in connection with shootings that occur during training, Wilber said. For such a charge to be filed, he said, someone would have had to have been waving a gun around or pointing it at someone to scare them before it goes off. Or someone would have to shoot a gun into the air, he said.

Danker said the investigation into the shooting should be wrapped up in a day or so. Unless something comes up that indicates he should do otherwise, Wilber said, he won't file any charges.

Kannedy became the city's police chief in 2007 when he was promoted from sergeant to replace the former chief, Jason Smith. Kannedy has been with the department full time since 1993. Before that, he was a reserve officer in Carter Lake for two years.

Kannedy is a native of Council Bluffs. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1986. He has lived in Carter Lake since 1988.

Contact the writer:

444-1279, jason.kuiper@owh.com