Former Arkansas police officer sues gunmaker after injuring himself

A former Arkansas police officer seeking $75,000 in damages as part of a federal lawsuit says he continues to suffer significant pain after a gun unexpectedly went off and injured him at a shooting range three years ago.

A jury trial has been set for the week of Aug. 21, 2017, in Helena-West Helena before Chief U.S. Judge Brian Miller, according to a court docket.

The suit, which was transferred from Cross County Circuit Court to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, states that Larry Jones suffered gunshot wounds June 21, 2013, when a Glock pistol fired as he was attempting to place a tactical light on the gun.

Jones said he was using the weapon in a "reasonable and foreseeable manner" when it discharged and fired off a round that traveled through his left foot.

At that time, Jones worked as a police officer in Cherry Valley, which is around 32 miles south of Jonesboro, according to the complaint.

He resigned from his position as a police officer with the Cherry Valley Police Department the same day, a city spokesman told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday afternoon.

Jones' lawsuit accuses the gun manufacturer, Glock Inc., of failing to provide appropriate safety measures for the Glock pistol such as a manual safety device, which the plaintiff says was not "reasonably obvious" at the time.

That "dangerous and defective condition" was "not an obvious danger that should have been discovered" by Jones, the document states.

The Glock pistol had not been modified or changed since its purchase Dec. 15, 2000, from Camouflage Connections in West Memphis, according to the lawsuit.

In a response, Glock Inc. denied all accusations, adding that the pistol "complied with all federal regulations and laws governing the design, import and sale of firearms at the time of its sale."

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