Kim Kimzey
blueridgenow.com
The wife of a Spartanburg County sheriff's deputy was accidentally shot Saturday during a concealed weapons permit class instructed by another deputy.
The victim, Crystal Smith, was struck with a .22-caliber bullet, Spartanburg Sheriff Chuck Wright said at a news conference.
Deputy Calvin “Skip” Smith was showing another student in the course how to properly grip her gun when it discharged, and Crystal, who was standing beside the other student on the firing line, was shot. Wright said the bullet passed through Crystal's arm and entered her side.
Wright said Smith, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division certified Concealed Weapons Permit Course instructor, was unaware a round had been chambered into the pistol. He was off duty when the accidental shooting occurred. He and the victim are not related.
“This is just a very unfortunate accident, and we're very thankful nobody lost their life,” Wright said.
The accident happened at a firing range at 820 S. Alabama Ave. in Chesnee. Crystal was driven to the RaceWay on Chesnee Highway, then transported by ambulance to a hospital.
“She was literally thrown in the car by these two officers and drove down in one of their personal vehicles,” Wright said. “On their way, they were calling 911 and the ambulance met them there.”
He said she will be OK, and, above all else, he is thankful the mother of three survived. She was out of surgery when they spoke and she joked around with him. He was unsure Saturday night when she would be discharged. As of late Saturday, she was in stable condition, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
Wright has known Crystal and her husband for several years. He described her as “a very nice young lady, very rambunctious and outgoing. It didn't surprise me when she was joking with me.”
Wright said Smith served in the military and is knowledgeable about weapons.
“If we learn anything from this, we have a very well trained guy that had an unfortunate accident that could have cost somebody their life,” he said.
He said to always make sure a pistol is unloaded when it's handed to you and stressed how important it is to be careful when handling weapons.
“The instructor should have checked the pistol, and he didn't do it,” Wright said. “It was just a mistake.”
Wright said the sheriff's office would investigate the incident because Smith was not acting in an official capacity as a deputy or representing the sheriff's office when the incident happened.
Wright said he did not know if the incident could jeopardize Smith's CWP license and that SLED would handle the matter. He said the sheriff's office will report the incident to the state agency, just as it would with anybody, regardless of whether or not the person was a deputy.
Wright said he still stands by previous comments that a concealed weapons permit is a good way to protect oneself. He stressed one must always be cautious when handling any weapon.
“This was a very unfortunate accident that has taken an emotional toll on everyone present. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Smith, her family, friends and all those present at today's class,” Lt. Tony Ivey with the sheriff's office said in a written statement.
