CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk Police officer is on administrative duty following a Halloween incident in Chesapeake.
A family went trick-or-treating Halloween night with their child. Now, they are reevaluating Halloween night after seeing what they believe was a firearm with a laser pointed at their 2-year-old child by an off-duty Norfolk Police officer.
“I was almost like, mortified just because, my 2-year-old had a gun pointed at them and I didn’t even know it was real,” a parent told 10 On Your Side. “I was just kind of like in almost a state of shock, and that bit of mom guilt gets to you as well because you feel like you should’ve known.”
The Norfolk Police Department confirms their professional standards unit is currently investigating an incident involving an off-duty officer Oct. 31.
In a video shared with 10 On Your Side, you can see someone dressed in a costume with a laser pointing at a 2-year-old child, who has been removed from the video.
“We’re taught from a young age, you know, guns aren’t toys,” the parent said. “And to use it as a prop on Halloween, it’s not just my kid, it’s a whole neighborhood of kids.”
NRA firearm instructor Tim Anderson said having a gun present could be dangerous because accidents are common.
“There could always be an accidental discharge of a firearm,” Anderson said. “That’s that’s something we all think about. You hear about that all the time, even in holsters. You know, guns can come out. They can accidentally discharge. That’s always a concern.”
Anderson said guns are always considered to be loaded. And if someone sees a firearm unknowingly, it could be threatening, which could be a problem for all parties involved.
“So, if I saw you with a gun and you were waving it around, I would assume that gun is loaded,” Anderson said, “and I would use my firearm to protect myself or those people around me. That’s extremely reckless, extremely dangerous to have a real firearm in public brandishing it in any way whatsoever. That creates risk to the owner of the firearm, that creates risks to the other people who would see that and perceive that as a risk. Absolutely, completely irresponsible firearm ownership.”
Norfolk Police said the officer involved in their investigation is on administrative duty pending the outcome of the internal investigation.