Nashville, Tenn. — A rookie police officer was shot to death by his 3-year-old son in front of his pregnant wife after the boy grabbed his father's gun off the kitchen table.
Joshua Haffner, 22, was pronounced dead early Friday after several hours of surgery.
The shooting happened shortly after the Nashville officer returned from work late Thursday to his home in Smyrna.
"He was taking off his duty equipment and laid his gun on the kitchen table. Apparently while he had his back turned and was talking to his wife, their 3-year-old picked the gun up and shot him," said Smyrna police Sgt. Ken Hampton.
Haffner was shot once in the upper back with the Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, Hampton said.
He had graduated from Nashville's police academy Nov. 1 and was undergoing field training. His wife, Amy, is eight months pregnant.
Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said the shooting was a tragic accident that happened in a split second.
"This officer had just gotten home. He was getting settled, and in the process took the pistol out of the holster and put it on the table. He did not leave the gun unattended; there were two adults in the kitchen," Aaron said.
Department regulations say weapons should be "out of reach of children in a secure manner."
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