A Drug Enforcement Administration agent who accidentally shot himself while demonstrating gun safety to school children is suing the agency.
Lee Paige, a DEA agent for 14-years, was displaying his firearm and telling students he was the only one in the room professional enough to handle a gun when he shot himself in the foot. You can watch the video of this "accident" at The Smoking Gun.
Paige says the incident has made him the joke of the Internet. The lawsuit claims agency leaked the video and he is now "the target of jokes, derision, ridicule and disparaging comments." He also complains that he can no longer work undercover and is no longer "permitted or able to give educational motivational speeches and presentations." A copy of Paige's pro se complaint is also available at The Smoking Gun.
The real outrage here is that Paige was only suspended for five days without pay after the careless shooting, which recklessly endangered the children in his audience. There is simply no excuse for handling a firearm so carelessly.
"There is simply no excuse for handling a firearm so carelessly."
While we're on the subject, what is the excuse for bringing a loaded weapon to a school in the first place?
Posted by: KipEsquire | Monday, April 17, 2006 at 03:11 PM