OUCH Dallas officer shot by own Taser
Dallas: Acquaintance says she mistook device at his home
10:25 PM CDT on Monday, July 16, 2007
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
teiserer@dallasnews.com Police say a Dallas officer was shot by a woman with his own Taser late Sunday in a bathroom at his Mountain Creek home while he was on duty.
Officer Charles Jeffers, who was hired in April 2003, was placed on restricted duty while investigators look into the incident.
"We don't know what happened," said Lt. Vernon Hale, a police spokesman. "We're trying to figure out what occurred out there."
Officer Jeffers told investigators he was home about 11:15 p.m. Sunday because he'd stopped to use the restroom while on his way to follow up on a burglary lead. He ordinarily works across town in the city's southeast patrol division.
A woman he said he knew knocked on the door and he let her in, according to a police report. She then followed him into his bedroom as he went into an adjoining bathroom.
The woman told police she picked up his Taser, believing it to be a flashlight. She then "opened the bathroom door and was giggling" and pointed the Taser at Officer Jeffers, the report said.
The woman said she was "startled and accidentally pulled the trigger" when he told her to put it down. A prong of the Taser gun became lodged in his chin, causing him to fall backwards into the bathtub.
Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics responded to the scene and removed it. Officer Jeffers was not seriously injured.
Police have not released the woman's name.
During his career, Officer Jeffers has twice been disciplined for violating the department's off-duty job policy.
