Officer charged after gun accidentally fires at school meet

FOWLERVILLE, Mich. – A Michigan police officer has been charged after his personal gun accidentally fired into the floor of a high school gymnasium as he watched a wrestling tournament in which his son was a competitor.

WHMI-FM reports that 40-year-old Mark Boudreau is charged with misdemeanour careless discharge of a firearm.

The shot was fired May 5 at Fowlerville High School, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northwest of Detroit.

Boudreau, of the Flint Police Department, will be arraigned June 7.

Defence attorney Frank Manley on Wednesday called the shooting “unfortunate,” and Boudreau “an outstanding veteran command officer.”

The Flint Journal reports that Flint police said in a statement the department “cannot comment on any potential criminal allegations until” it receives “all of the facts at the conclusion of the proceedings.”