Story confirmation 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, I searched your site and could not find a place for corrections.
Today (2/6/02) you have a story on your front page listed as unconfirmed called "Risky Reenactment."
This incident did happen and was reported in the Quad City Times of Davenport Iowa. Several errors in your story may have made it hard for you to confirm.
A week earlier, an officer in Moline, Illinois (just across the Mississippi from Davenport, Iowa) was killed after completing a training session. The officer was participating in a "suspect disarming" session at a local police training center. In this training the officers used their own guns, unloaded of course, and would attempt to disarm each other.
After successfully completing the training with several other police, the officer returned to the locker room and reloaded his gun. Another officer, in a playful mood, then decided to do some additional "training" and disarm the officer who had just loaded his gun. In the ensuing struggle, the gun went off and the officer was killed.
Jump ahead a week.
Rick Shurtz, employee of Iowa Illinois Gas and Electric and part-time officer was providing parking and traffic control for the Bettendorf Iowa Jaycees' haunted house. Shurtz was attemping to explain to another officer what he thought had happened the week before.
(It should be noted that Shurtz was not actually present at the shooting of the other officer and was re-enacting the incident based on hearsay.)
While pulling his own gun out of its holster in a demonstration on what he "thought" happened, Shurtz accidentally fired the gun, shooting himself in the stomach.
According to the report of the other officer at the scene, Shurtz then shouted, "Oh my god, I've been shot! and bolted for his personal car (not a police car) which was parked nearby. Before anyone could stop him, Shurtz drove off in the direction of the nearest hospital.
Less than a mile down the road Shurtz lost conciousness (probably due to shock), his vehicle went off the road, striking a utility pole. Shurtz was not wearing his seat belt and the impact drove him into the steering wheel, rupturing his aorta and killing him instantly.
Sadly, Shurtz's gunshot wound was not all that serious and the coroner stated he would have most likely survived had he let the paramedics who were present at the haunted house treat him and drive him to the hospital in their ambulance, which was also at the scene.
This story was reported in the Quad City Times in October of 1993. I have checked their web site (www.qctimes.com) but their online archive only goes back to 1999.
I personally worked with Shurtz at Iowa Illinois Gas and Electric for about 15 years prior to this incident and can honestly say the only surprising thing about this incident is that it hadn't happened sooner. Not the sharpest tack in the box, if you know what I mean.
Although Shurtz was a resident of Illinois, the incident happened in Bettendorf, Iowa, where I live. In fact, Shurtz crashed his vehicle just down the street from my home, temporarily knocking out my power. Submitted on 02/06/02
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
Quad City Times 10/23/1993
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
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