Huntington Beach SWAT officer recovering from accidental shooting

A Huntington Beach SWAT officer was recovering Thursday morning after he was accidentally shot in the leg with another officer’s gun at police headquarters the night before, authorities said.

The officer underwent emergency surgery after he was shot in the leg with a ricochet bullet about 10 p.m. Wednesday, said Capt. Russell Reinhart of the Huntington Beach Police Department. The men, who gathered at the station for a briefing after an all-day training session, were cleaning their weapons when one of the guns accidentally went off.

Paramedics transported the injured officer — whose name, age and rank have not been released — to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was “recuperating with his family and friends at his side,” Reinhart said. The officer is expected to make a full recovery.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, Lt. Mike Freeman said, which is standard protocol “anytime someone is injured by a firearm involving a police officer.”

The name of the officer whose gun discharged has not been released.

This story was reported by Times Staff Writer Kate Mather.