EMMETT -- A police officer has been placed on administrative leave after her gun was fired by a three-year-old in rural Gem County.
The shooting happened August 6 when the toddler got ahold of a Detective Sergeant Kim Judy's gun. With one shot, he hit himself, his younger brother, and his mother.
All three were treated and released, but now, the family says they face something else: Scrutiny, which the grandmother says is unjust.
"It's been an attack towards the officer, my daughter, the police department. It's just been to everyone involved," the children's grandmother Brandy Myers said.
Myers says her 20-year-old daughter Whisper Rowden has been the talk of Emmett since early August, when her three-year-old son found a gun belonging to her roommate, Detective Sergeant Kim Judy.
"There's 15-hundred stories out there in regards to what happened. Nobody knows the truth," Myers said.
Police say the boy accidentally fired a shot, hitting himself, his two-year-old brother and his mother. While Myers says she can't be specific about just what did happen because of ongoing investigations, she says everything that happened was an accident, including Judy leaving her weapon out.
"The first question that I had when I got to the hospital when I got the call that morning, when I talked to the chief, was 'how did this happen?' Kim's way too careful. Way too careful. I've been to her home. I know she's way too careful for this," Myers said.
After the incident, Judy went back on active duty for two weeks, carrying a weapon. Police Chief Steve Nebeker says he decided to put Judy on paid administrative leave this week after consulting other area police chiefs
Nebeker says another county sheriff's office is investigating, looking at a possible violation of the department's firearms storage policy.
"Our policy says we have to keep them out of the hands of children and irresponsible adults so it's the officers job and duty to do that," Nebeker said.
Myers says she appreciates the department doing a thorough investigation, but she hopes Judy will end up back at work.
"Absolutely I understand everybody's concerned because she's law enforcement, she has that responsibility. I do get that; however, it's an accident. Everybody makes mistakes," Myers said.
Myers also hopes her family can move out of the local rumor mill.
"I'm not downplaying the incident, but it's a mistake, it's an accident, and it's turned into something so much bigger than what it should be," Myers said.
There are two investigations going on with this case. There's the internal investigation to determine Judy's standing with the Police Department. She could face discipline ranging from nothing to a verbal warning to termination.
Also, the state police are investigating whether anything criminal happened that day. Nebeker says outside agencies were immediately called after the shooting to avoid any conflict of interest.
