A Scottsdale police detective's death has been further elucidated by a detailed report which revealed that the rifle responsible for the fatal discharge was not secured properly. According to a report by ABC15, the incident occurred when Detective Ryan So, a nine-year veteran of the Scottsdale Police Department, was assisting another detective with transferring equipment due to a vehicle malfunction.
When the detective removed a backpack from the vehicle, it was grabbed by its metal frame and inadvertently held upside down, at which point, a rifle fell out and discharged upon hitting the ground. The Mesa Police Department's Homicide Unit, as mentioned by Living Word Church news, stated, "found no evidence of criminal negligence on the part of any party." Detective So, aged 38, was pronounced deceased at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the neck.
The rifle, identified as an Accuracy International .308, was not owned by So but by the other detective, whose name has not been disclosed. "The detective was 'visibly upset,'" as reported by ABC15, when he recounted the event during his interview with the Mesa police. Forensic tests later confirmed that the rifle could indeed discharge if it were cocked with the safety off and dropped butt first.
The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) had earlier conducted an investigation and found no violations of state or federal safety laws. However, they indicated that internal policies regarding gun storage within the Scottsdale Police Department might fall outside their jurisdiction, as stated in the Living Word Church news report. As it stands, an internal review by Scottsdale police is still looking into whether departmental policies were breached, though there has been no timeframe given for when this probe is expected to conclude.
