Remember that dancing FBI agent who dropped his duty gun while doing a backflip in a crowded bar and accidentally shot a man in the leg when he went to pick it up? He’s allowed to carry his gun again.
Ready To Carry
According to the New York Times, Chase Bishop was in a Denver court on Wednesday when his lawyer, David Goddard, asked Judge Frances Simonet to modify a protection order to let him carry his service weapon on and off duty. Goddard noted that the FBI encourages its agents to carry “at all times” unless instructed otherwise.
The request was granted, provided that Bishop do so “in a manner pursuant to FBI policy,” Ken Lane, Denver District Attorney spokesman told the Denver Post. Lane added that the DA didn’t fight the request because the injured patron, Tom Reddington, didn’t object.
The Associated Press reports that the hearing was originally scheduled so that prosecutors could lay out evidence against Bishop, but that plan was scrapped after Bishop was offered a plea deal. Goddard said Bishop needed time to consider accepting it. No details about the plea agreement will be made public unless it’s accepted.
“These are the types of cases you would offer pleas on,” Lane said.
Dancing FBI Agent Incident
Bishop—a 29-year-old FBI agent who lives and works in Washington, D.C.—was off-duty and dancing at Mile High Spirits Distillery and Tasting Bar in Denver on Saturday, June 2 at around 1 a.m. when he decided to do a backflip. Bishop’s gun went flying out of his holster while he executed the move. When he went to pick up the gun, it discharged, shooting Reddington in the leg. The incident was caught on camera by multiple smart phones. The footage instantly went viral when it was posted online. Redding was treated at an area hospital and released.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office charged Bishop with second-degree assault as a result of the incident. Authorities were initially waiting to see the results of Bishop’s blood-alcohol test to determine whether or not to file additional charges. Ultimately, however, they filed the second-degree assault charge without getting the test results.
Shortly after filing, the DA’s office received the test results; Lane said no further charges would be filed. He also said the test results wouldn’t be made public, the Post reported.
Bishop’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 21.
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