Indiana deputy’s gun discharges, shoots student in classroom

CLINTON, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana high school student was shot and wounded Thursday when a sheriff’s deputy’s gun accidentally discharged in a classroom as students were taking part in law enforcement vocational training, officials said.

The wounded South Vermillion High School student was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries after the shooting about 9:30 a.m. EST, the school district said in Facebook post. The school is located in the city of Clinton, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Indianapolis near the Indiana-Illinois state line.

Dave Chapman, superintendent of the South Vermillion Community School Corp., said the high school senior was grazed by the bullet. He said the male student described his pain level as a “sting.”

Chapman said the shooting occurred in a popular vocational law enforcement class that’s taught by deputy sheriffs from the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Office, WTWO-TV reported.

“During the course of instruction today, they were going through some drills, and during the course of that drill, the deputy’s service revolver accidentally was discharged, hitting one of our students,” he said.

Indiana State Police said Deputy Tim DisPennett, a 19-year veteran of the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department, had been placed on administrative leave as they investigate the shooting.

State police Sgt. Matt Ames confirmed that the weapon involved was the service weapon of the deputy.

He said state police will be interviewing the deputy and students who were in the classroom at the time of the shooting. Once that investigation is complete the findings were will be turned over to the Vermillion County Prosecutor’s Office “for review.”

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