Stepdaughter of Gilroy cop injures self with officer's weapon

A Gilroy Police spokesman confirmed that the teenager is the stepdaughter of a Gilroy officer. The preliminary investigation shows she accidentally shot herself with the officer's personal weapon.

At 3 p.m. on Monday, Gilroy Police and Fire personnel were called to the home where the officer lives with his stepdaughter on the 500 block of El Cerrito after a report the girl shot herself in the leg.

Once there, crews realized it was the home of a police officer.

The girl was given first aid and was taken to a trauma center. Investigators say she will survive and is stable.

Police say their initial investigation indicates she was able to access the officer's personal firearm and accidentally fired a shot into her leg.

It is unclear at this point where the gun was or how the girl got it, but the officer could face charges if investigators find the gun was not properly stored.

"There are laws that govern the storage of weapons, firearms specifically," said Sgt. Royce Heath, a Gilroy Police Department spokesman. "The circumstances involved in this case I'm not sure. The preliminary investigation has been started and we have to wait until we know further."

The Gilroy Police Department is now investigating the shooting and has also launched an internal review.

They will ultimately hand off their findings to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for an additional review.

They say officers are given safety devices when they are issued their city-owned weapon.

Police have not released the girl's age but say she was undergoing treatment for her injuries.

Investigators are not releasing any information about the officer at this time, including how long he has been with the department, but say they will release that in the near future.