No Privacy Case in Video of Agent's Gun Mishap
No Privacy Case in Video of Agent's Gun Mishap
(CN) - The Drug Enforcement Administration is not liable for releasing video footage of one of its agents shooting himself in the leg while lecturing children about gun safety, the D.C. Circuit ruled.
Special Agent Lee Paige of Orlando began talking about weapons during an April 2004 presentation about the dangers of illegal drugs before a community center audience of about 50 children and parents.
As he displayed his government-issued gun, he told the audience that "firearms should be handled only be professionals like himself," according to the judgment.
Shortly thereafter, he accidentally discharged his firearm, shooting himself in the leg.
A parent who videotaped Paige's presentation turned the film over to DEA agents later that day. The DEA Office of Inspections, which is responsible for investigating shooting accidents involving DEA personnel, cut the video down to 4:09 minutes and made several copies.
One of these copies ended up on the Internet and the DEA's internal email system, but the agency was unable to determine who released it after a year-long investigation.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/01/27/43412.htm
