Missouri Deck Collapse Injures U.S. Marshals Serving Warrant on Sex Offender

Q: How did heavily armed deputies manage to plummet from a second-story collapse without a single accidental firearm discharge?

They appear to have avoided an accidental discharge because modern duty firearms are built not to fire unless the trigger is deliberately pressed, and officials say the deputies maintained enough control and trigger discipline during the fall to prevent that from happening. U.S. Marshals Assistant Chief James Tapp called it “a miracle,” but he also credited “the training and discipline of the task force officers and deputies.” That matters because accidental firing in a tumble usually requires a chain of failures: a finger on the trigger, a gun leaving its holster or being mishandled, and the trigger being pressed hard enough to fire. Investigators said none of that happened, even though the team dropped in roughly two seconds when the deck gave way “like a trap door.” The firearms themselves likely helped. Standard law-enforcement sidearms are designed with internal safeties, drop-safe features and retention holsters that keep the weapon secured during violent movement. Those systems are specifically meant to prevent a gun from firing just because it is jolted, struck or dropped. The bodycam-captured collapse in Huntsville, Missouri, still injured several officers, with reports of broken bones, torn muscles and concussions, but no life-threatening injuries. In practical terms, the lack of gunfire was likely the result of three things working together at once: secured weapons, drop-safe gun design and officers who did not touch their triggers as they fell.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Aug 18

A second-floor deck in Missouri collapsed beneath a team of deputy U.S. marshals as they served a warrant, sending them crashing to the ground.
The deputies were at the property to arrest a convicted sex offender when the structure suddenly gave way.
The incident added an unusual hazard to a job more commonly associated with gunfire and other direct attacks during fugitive and warrant operations.