BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Los Alamos Police Cmdr. Preston Ballew confirmed Friday afternoon that a Los Alamos man was seriously injured in an accidental shooting Friday morning.

“LAPD Sgt. Chris Ross, Cpl. James Keane and Sgt. Ben Irving responded to a 911 call where the man reported that he had been accidently shot as he checked the serial number on his firearm,” Ballew said.

Ballew told the Los Alamos Reporter that when the officers arrived at the residence they observed the man through a window sitting in a chair and bleeding profusely. Realizing how seriously the man was injured, Sgt. Ross kicked down the door of the home to gain access. Officers then applied two tourniquets to the man’s arm while waiting for Los Alamos Fire Department medics to arrive.

Ballew said Sgt. Ross took the lead and probably saved the man’s life.

“It is ironic that Sgt. Ross was the one who got all of us LAPD officers trained last year on how to apply a tourniquet and facilitated tourniquet kits being carried in all LAPD patrol units”, he said.

The man was transported to Santa Fe for surgery, Ballew said.