Latest news with #SIGSauerP320
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Gun accidentally fired, Milwaukee police officer joins lawsuit
The Brief An MPD officer has joined a federal lawsuit against a gun manufacturer. The lawsuit claims the SIG Sauer P320 fired without anyone pulling the trigger. The lawsuit seeks a recall of the weapon and compensation. MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee police officer whose gun accidentally fired and injured his partner has now joined a federal lawsuit against the weapon's manufacturer. What they're saying Attorney Robert Zimmerman, who is based in Philadelphia, represents more than 100 people who claim the same thing: The SIG Sauer P320 fired without anyone pulling the trigger. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android "The reality is people are experiencing unintended discharges when their hands are not even on the gun," said Attorney Robert Zimmerman. Twenty-two people, mostly law enforcement, are part of the latest lawsuit. That includes MPD Officer Yang Lee. "His hand wasn't on the gun," Zimmerman said. "The gun discharged while it was in its holster." The backstory In September 2022, Lee was searching a suspect's vehicle when his SIG Sauer P320 fired. It struck and injured his partner. The officer who was injured when Lee's gun went off is part of another lawsuit against the gun manufacturer. "Officer Lee does not trust this gun. He has had severe emotional distress from years and years being on the force," Zimmerman said. Dig deeper MPD transitioned away from the P320 three years ago and replaced them with glocks after several incidents. In July 2020, a SIG Sauer went off during an arrest and injured the officer's partner. Less than six months later, surveillance captured the moment a shot went off – the officer's hands weren't on the gun. "They ought to know what they can do at this point," Zimmerman said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News What's next The federal lawsuit calls for SIG Sauer to recall the weapon. It also seeks compensation. If there isn't change, Zimmerman expects more lawsuits: "It's not going to stop until SIG changes their ways and does the right thing." FOX6 News reached out to SIG Sauer for comment but did not hear back by the deadline for this story. The Source FOX6 News interviewed Attorney Robert Zimmerman about the lawsuit and referenced prior coverage of the weapons' accidental firings for information in this report.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Semi-automatic pistol banned from WA police training group for safety reasons
This story was originally published on The Washington organization designed to 'establish standards and provide training to criminal justice professionals' has banned the use of a semi-automatic pistol because of safety issues. The SIG Sauer P320 is a modular pistol that the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) said can fire without pulling the trigger. 'A recruit's firearm discharged while drawing, without their finger on the trigger, injuring an instructor and another recruit,' David Quinlan, WSCJTC communications manager, told MyNorthwest. 'Given similar national incidents, WSCJTC took precautionary action on October 17, 2024, pausing the use of the firearm until a workgroup and the academy conducted a full investigation.' Police and the military use various versions of the P320. Based on the findings, Executive Director Monica Alexander and the leadership team made the decision to prohibit the Sig Sauer P320 for WSCJTC training. 'This prohibition will remain in effect, and WSCJTC will continue to support agencies impacted by the decision,' Quinlan said. More from MyNorthwest: Round 2: Washington lawmakers reignite gun permit fight after failing last year Incidents with P320 semi-automatic pistol growing Incidents with the P320 have been growing. WSCJTC had launched a work group investigation, reviewing on-site inspections of the recruit's firearm, historical cases of misfires, legal cases, and military and law enforcement reports, Quinlan said. The Bellevue Police Department, Burlington Police Department, and Kitsap County Sheriff's Office use P320s. More from MyNorthwest: Seattle Police arrest 'screaming' man with long gun at apartment building in Bitter Lake Replacement costs significant The cost of replacing them can be significant because it requires new weapons, supplies and training. One law enforcement official described the P320 'Like setting a ticking time bomb wherever it's sitting waiting for it to go off.'
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
SIG Sauer's bid to get $2.3M verdict tossed misfires
Feb. 14—A federal judge in Atlanta has denied SIG Sauer's request for a new trial after a jury awarded $2.35 million to a Georgia man last June who was seriously wounded while removing his holstered pistol from his belt. Robert Lang claimed SIG Sauer — whose U.S. headquarters is in Newington — defectively designed its P320 model and failed to warn customers about the potential for it to discharge unintentionally. A federal jury in Atlanta agreed. Lang, 37, claimed the pistol fired while inside the holster, where he couldn't reach the trigger, as he attempted to unclip the holster from his belt. He said a bullet tore through his upper right thigh, exiting just above his knee. The jury found that Lang was not negligent in handling his SIG Sauer pistol, which he bought in March 2018 for just over $700. The incident happened in December 2018 at Lang's home. According to the latest court order, the gunmaker failed to meet the burden for a new trial and failed to justify its requested reduction in the jury's damages award. One of Lang's attorneys, Robert Zimmerman, said, "The jury heard and understood the evidence. The court in great detail identified the significant record that the jury based its decision on. "The only ones not listening, unfortunately, are those at SIG Sauer who refuse to change the P320's design before more law enforcement officers and law-abiding gun owners are injured or killed." In a statement, SIG Sauer said it "strongly disagrees" with the verdict and will be appealing the decision "on multiple grounds." "In this case, the plaintiff, Mr. Lang, initially admitted to the police that he accidentally discharged his gun while pulling it out of the holster, then later changed his story, stating that the firearm discharged without a trigger pull," the statement reads. "However, the Plaintiff's story notably changed again, after hiring trial experts who agreed that the SIG Sauer P320 could not discharge without the trigger being pulled. Plaintiff and both his experts testified, however, that they do not know what pulled the trigger or how the trigger was pulled, and they did not attempt to conduct any testing to confirm how the trigger could have been pulled, other than by Mr. Lang's own finger." "SIG Sauer does not believe that Plaintiff has met his burden in this case to prove that the P320 model pistol was designed defectively or negligently, and there are no facts on the record that Mr. Lang's discharge was the result of anything other than his own negligent handling which caused him to pull the trigger on the P320 pistol." The statement goes on to say the design of the SIG Sauer P320 model pistol is "truly innovative and safe," with multiple patents relating to safety mechanisms. In the court order, Judge Eleanor Ross writes attorneys for SIG Sauer argued in favor of reducing Lang's pain and suffering award from $2.3 million to $500,000, bringing the total jury award to $550,963.43. "The court finds that the jury's verdict is not 'so exorbitant and flagrantly outrageous as to shock the moral sense' or 'create a clear implication of bias, prejudice, or gross mistake by the jurors,'" the order states. "The jury made its award 'in its enlightened conscience' and based upon proper evidence." The P320, which was introduced in 2014, is one of the most popular guns in the U.S., with more than 2.5 million sold, according to the company. Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky PC represents more than 100 P320 victims. In November, a jury in Philadelphia awarded $11 million in damages to U.S. Army veteran George Abrahams, who claims his SIG Sauer P320 pistol fired in its holster without his hands touching the gun.
