Officer Who Accidentally Shot Trainee In Head Faces Up To 15 Years In Jail
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A Baltimore City police officer is out on bail one day after being arrested for shooting a recruit during a training exercise.
Mike Hellgren is following the case.
Baltimore City police officer William Kern faces up to 15 years in jail after being charged with second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
Wednesday, a grand jury indicted him for his role in shooting a police recruit during an unauthorized training exercise in Owings Mills.
Sources say Kern mistook his service weapon for a training weapon and shot Raymond Gray through a window, hitting him in the forehead.
A. Dwight Pettit represents the victim.
"There's an element of trust. There's an element of responsibility. He has entrusted Baltimore City to not only train him, but to protect him," Pettit said.
In a statement, the Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said, "This indictment moves us one step forward in this painful but necessary process. When we fall short, we will not only hold ourselves accountable but will take the necessary time, care and caution required to restore the public's confidence in our department."
The lawyer for Kern says his client's deepest sympathy is with the man who was shot and calls this a tragic accident, not a crime.
Kern has been with the department for 18 years.
