Deputy leaves a loaded gun in family restroom at Target store, Ohio police say

A loaded gun in a restroom at a Target store was left behind by a deputy, Ohio police say.

The gun was on a belt found dangling from a handle in the family bathroom Thursday at the store in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, according to a police report obtained by McClatchy News. It had a bullet in the chamber and a full magazine.

Hilliard police said they determined the gun belonged to a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by McClatchy.

In a statement to WBNS, the sheriff’s office said the deputy was on duty when the gun was left in the bathroom. The deputy reported the incident immediately after realizing what happened, the news outlet reported.

“We are grateful the incident didn’t result in any injury. The FCSO understands ‘to err is human,’ but this agency also holds its deputies to the highest level of professional standards,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in the statement, WBNS reported. “We will conduct a thorough administrative investigation to find out exactly what happened before making any decisions regarding discipline.”

This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Deputy leaves a loaded gun in family restroom at Target store, Ohio police say."