POWELL, Ohio — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is changing one of its policies after a ranger accidentally fired a gun on zoo grounds last month.
The zoo said the incident happened around 9:45 p.m. on April 19 during a training session with a new security ranger. The zoo was closed at the time of the incident.
The ranger training the new employee believed he removed all live ammunition from the gun before conducting the session but miscounted the number of shells.
The zoo said the ranger pulled the trigger while facing the office door. Nothing went off because there was no round in the chamber. When the ranger racked the weapon again and pulled the trigger, a live round was fired through the office door. The bullet exited the trailer wall and hit a tree. No one was injured.
The ranger filed an incident report and contacted his management team. As a result of an investigation, the ranger was suspended for three days without pay. He is still employed with the zoo. Before this incident, the zoo said the ranger did not have any previous issues and was in good standing with the zoo.
Due to the incident, the zoo has suspended all dry-fire training until new policies and procedures are put in place. The zoo said the new policies, which are under review, will require at least two trained members to verify weapons are unloaded before conducting any training.
The ranger has been with the zoo for two years and is a veteran of the US Marine Corps. The zoo said it has used him to conduct basic weapons training with new members of the SRT team before going out to the range to shoot for the first time. All rangers are required to pass the zoo's qualification course twice a year.
The zoo said there are only two scenarios in which rangers are armed. The first is in the event a dangerous animal gets out or a human enters a dangerous animal exhibit. The second is when a dangerous animal is being moved or transferred and a ranger is present for support.