An off-duty police officer shot and critically wounded his 18-year-old daughter, after mistaking her for an intruder. The girl had apparently snuck out of their Stratford, Conneticut home to meet a boyfriend. 41 year old police officer Eric Scott was under the impression his daughter was still in the house, when she snuck back in and re-entered the home through the basement. While sneaking back in she triggered a backyard motion sensor light, which awoke her father. Scott went to investigate, and spotted someone moving in the basement bathroom. He fired one shot from his department issued pistol, hitting the teen in the knee. The bullet traveled up her leg and lodged in her thigh area.

Her father called 911 upon realizing the mistake, and the girl was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery. She was listed in critical but stable condition. Scott had been on leave from the New Haven police department since being struck by a truck while on duty in November, 2006.  He has not been charged in the shooting.

This incident serves as another testament to the futility of house-hold guns for ‘protection,’ which are far more likely to injure or kill a family member than they are to ever be used on an actual intruder. Even with proper gun training, (as experienced here), having a handgun in the house for ‘protection’ puts your family in more danger, not less.