An officer with Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is dead after he accidentally shot himself on Tuesday.
Sheriff Ricky Adam has confirmed that Deputy John Schmidt died Tuesday night around 6:15 in the Bayside Park community after shooting himself in the chest. Adam says that it appears Schmidt was cleaning his gun at the time of the accidental shooting, as he had the magazine out.
Schmidt wasn’t on duty at the time as he had just been hired in December as a part-time reserve officer. The office was waiting for his final paperwork to be filed.
Adam said that the department frequently holds safety training for officers concerning gun safety.
