Stonehill College: Employee accidentally shot, injured another worker

EASTON, Mass. - A Massachusetts college says an employee accidentally discharged a firearm on school grounds, injuring another employee.

Stonehill College spokesman Martin McGovern said Tuesday the shooting happened Oct. 11 in the plumber's shop of the school's Clock Farm. The employee has been terminated.

The Easton college initially called the shooting a "workplace incident" that resulted in a leg injury. The Brockton Enterprise later confirmed police responded to a report of a gunshot at the Clock Farm, located near the school's main campus.

McGovern says Stonehill had been complying with the Bristol district attorney's office's request not to provide details that could hinder the investigation or prosecution of the case.

He says the school should have provided the campus community more details about what had occurred.

Dear Stonehill Community,

I write today about an incident on October 11 that occurred in the plumber's shop of the Clock Farm, which involved the accidental discharge of a firearm and resulted in one employee being injured and the employee who brought the unauthorized firearm to campus being terminated. <br/>  <br/> At the time, the College complied with a request of the Bristol County District Attorney not to provide details that could hinder investigation or prosecution of the case. We respected that request and provided the next day a brief statement acknowledging that there had been a workplace incident.<br/>  <br/> This was an incident that occurred off our main campus. The police and medical response was flawless and ensured the safety of all involved—our first and most important priority. That response saw the Stonehill College Police Department collaborating closely and effectively with the Easton Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the District Attorney.

However, in retrospect, once the investigatory phase of the incident was over, it is clear to us that we should have provided the campus community more detail about what had occurred. The community deserves to be informed of events like these, even if there was no threat to others and the incident was contained quickly.

Please know that this is a lesson learned and one we will take to heart. We will be reviewing our procedures so we address issues like these more directly in the future.

Sincerely,<br/> Martin McGovern<br/> Director of Communications and Media Relations

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