Comments on: DEA Agent Shoots Self in Foot; Sues Gov’t

By: Clifford

Clifford — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 19:38:35 +0000

I will tell you right now, flat Out, Lee is making the situation worst than it is. He fucked up. As an Officer, I know that if this had happen to him using a berreta 92F with that decocking lever, I would agree it was a mistake, but with a glock you have to be NOT PAYING Attention.
…All guns are always loaded…..You have to clear it and he did not do that, He sent the slide foward on the glock as if it was a 92f, He made a mistake that if he was in any other department especially LAPD, THOSE GUYS WOULD RIDE YOU HARD TALKING ABOUT IT not just to be jerky but to help you understand that this should never happen again, But to sue the DEA for that is total BULLSHIT…..Lastly, if you check the film Dea was not fliming, they got a copy like the whole world did. Lee save your money and enjoy life. The DEA has been good to you with only five days suspension.. You are lucky you were not fired, Don’t draw any attention to yourself because you messed up. Here are four simple tips
1.All Guns are Always loaded
2.Never allow the muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to shoot
Important one
3. KEEP YOUR FINGERS OFF THE TRIGGER,UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE FOCUSED ON THE TARGET AND YOU INTEND TO SHOOT
4.Be sure of your target

By: Gregory Domincovitch

Gregory Domincovitch — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:10:57 +0000

I live in shame now!
Self inflicted injuries: turning accidental into cash is wrong in character. If you did this in the service of our country you would be sent home but you would not like the type of discharge. A bad conduct discharge may not exist today… must worry about one’s self esteem and issues.
What was the other uniformed officer in attendance taking? A 40 caliber weapon was discharged in a classroom and this guy didn’t flinch or react in any way. Makes my ears hurt just watching.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 05:49:29 +0000

It is surprising that he wasn’t fired after his unsafe actions.

Several questions come to mind.

1. Why was he conducting training with weapons that are loaded in front of children? The weapons should have been cleared and safe before entering the school if he knew he would be handling them.

2. If it is a loaded weapon, why didn’t it remain in the holster where it should have been left? I have never seen a police officer pull a loaded weapon from its holster in a school for show and tell, let alone gun safety.

3. Why wasn’t basic firearms safety rules followed? Like duh!

If I was the DEA, I would have released the video to the public to show how stupid this so called professional was. You know that those attending were making statement. How embarrassing to the DEA. This special agent should live with his stupidity as a message to others that might think to do it.

By: Edwin Edwards

Edwin Edwards — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:42:47 +0000

Mr. Paige’s “accident” wasn’t accidental, it was negligence. He violate the following gun safety principles, and probably others:

1. He brought a weapon with live ammunition to a demonstration.
2. He left a loaded weapon outside his immediate control (the table).
3. He failed to clear a weapon that had been outside his immediate control.
4. He failed to maintain awareness of his muzzle direction (his leg).
5. He failed to keep his finger outside the trigger guard until a clear target was obtained.

He should have been fired immediately for negligently discharging a firearm in a public area, not to mention endangering children!

By: mommysontheedge.com

mommysontheedge.com — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 01:17:15 +0000

You may well have seen this by now, but I had to post it just in case some of you hadn’t. Follow this link to The Smoking Gun and then click on the picture to watch the video of this idiot.

By: Jeff the Baptist

Jeff the Baptist — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:57:09 +0000

Even if the film had been taken by the DEA, Lee Paige’s pride is not grounds to prevent public release. Unless protected legally for purposes of national security or confidentiality (like personnel financial records), films or documents owned by the Federal government are in the public domain and the property of the people on the United States.

By: tweell

tweell — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:04:45 +0000

The film was taken by a private citizen (a parent, IIRC), therefore the DEA couldn’t suppress it legally. If this guy was a secret agent, what was he doing giving a public speech? The lawsuit is doomed to failure, with the exception of bringing this gentleman back into the limelight.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:34:13 +0000

What’s the DEA doing wasting time and money giving gun safety lessons? Every town has bunches of NRA guys who will do it for free. What, have all the drugs been found?

The ‘agent’ is a idiot. Stupid. Dumb. He can not even talk. No wonder his DEA buddies farmed him off on the little kid circuit. Can you imaging having this guy behind you with a loaded gun?

The guy, the DEA are all a waste.

By: Ben Bateman

Ben Bateman — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 22:51:51 +0000

I feel sorry for the guy. He isn’t a professional educator or an experienced public speaker. He’s a cop. He was obviously nervous and distracted in the unfamiliar setting. He wasn’t trying to impress the kids to puff his own ego; he was trying to convince them to avoid crime. And anybody who can keep talking like that after taking a bullet to the foot has got to be tough as nails.

News flash: People make mistakes. So what?

True. He also could have “mistakenly” killed someone in the audience, too. Nervousness, lack of public speaking experience, and unfamiliar surroundings certainly don’t excuse his carelessness (including picking up another gun after the “mistake”) and those same factors certainly wouldn’t make the parents of a dead child feel better. – Admin

By: Tami Gill

Tami Gill — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:57:50 +0000

LOL!! Lashawn, you owe me a new keyboard; I was drinking water while watching this. The funniest thing about it to me is the fact that he said, “I’m the only person in the room professional enough to carry a gun like this…*BANG*!” And then he actually fielded a question from someone! LOL! I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.

By: htom

htom — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:53:23 +0000

Cooper’s 4 Rules of Firearms Safety:

1) Always treat every firearm as if it’s loaded. Always.
2) Never let the muzzle cover anything you don’t want destroyed.
3) Never put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to fire.
4) Always be sure of your target and what is above, below, beside, beyond and through that target.

Firearm safeties fail. Magazine disconnects don’t. Shadows are rarely good targets.

By: rgcombs.blog-city.com

rgcombs.blog-city.com — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:59:54 +0000

DEA agent shoots self, sues gov’t. for embarrassing him

A couple of years ago, DEA agent Lee Paige was doing a "drug education" presentation to a group of Florida students and their parents. During the gun safety part of the presentation, he shot himself in the foot with his "unloaded"

By: jenney

jenney — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:45:10 +0000

Re. the lawsuit claiming improper release of the video:
It may not be just his personal embarassment. Local6 news reported that he was an undercover agent (though the shooting apparently prompted his suspension) and as such, the video revealed his identity. That could be dangerous for him and his family as well as preventing him from being able to work undercover again. Protecting his identity would be important, not just to protect his dignity but really to protect his safety.

Of course, one could argue that everyone’s safety is in jeopardy as long as he has access to any firearms, so maybe releasing his identity isn’t so bad!

By: Christopher Taylor

Christopher Taylor — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:28:11 +0000

His finger should not have been on the trigger if he was not intending to use the gun. Period.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:19:24 +0000

Not one Barney Fife reference? Barney had to keep his one (1) bullet in his shirt pocket to keep this from happening to him.