Police officers shoot each other while trying to catch suspected burglar

California cops were ‘facing each other’ when they fired their weapons

Two California police officers are recovering from gunshot wounds after they accidentally shot each other while attempting to apprehend a suspect.

The Elk Grove Police Department officers had responded to a call about a suspicious man seen holding a firearm and trying to break into a trailer parked on a road just outside of Sacramento around 11pm on 20 April.

The first male police officer arriving at the trailer told a man to sit down. When the male second officer arrived the man stood up and ran off – sparking a chase by the first officer on foot and the other officer in a police vehicle.

When the officers managed to confront the suspect in a nearby parking lot, they “were on each side of the [him], facing each other,” according to an Elk Grove Police Department statement.

They both fired at the man – hitting him and each other – after the suspect “moved toward the second officer with his hands near his midsection area”.

One police officer was struck in the lower leg, while the other suffered a grazing wound on his lower leg. Both have been released from hospital.

The suspect, identified only as a 41-year-old man from Sacramento, is still in hospital received treatment for gunshot wounds.

Elk Grove Police Department said he faced multiple charges upon his release, including resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The suspect was carrying a loaded gun at the time of the incident, police said. However, a preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that the 41-year-old did not fire at the officers.

The person who originally called to report the suspected burglary of the trailer later told police he knew the man. Both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is carried out.

According to the police statement the probe “will be conducted independently by the Elk Grove Police Department’s Investigation Bureau, Professional Standards Unit, and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office which is standard practice for any officer-involved shooting”.