Columbia University protests: NYPD officer’s gun discharged at Hamilton Hall during operation to remove encampment, students [Video]

NEW YORK — Amid the chaos of the Hamilton Hall occupation at Columbia University, the NYPD said an officer unintentionally fired a shot in the building.

It happened Tuesday night as an Emergency Services Unit officer was conducting an extensive search on the first floor.

He was opening the locked door from the inside, and when he shifted the gun from his dominant hand to his nondominant hand, he accidentally fired his weapon.

The bullet went into the office, landing on the floor, and no one was struck.

Police say at the time, there were only police personnel in sight or sound of the accidental discharge.

The department averages about eight accidental discharges a year.

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In response to questions about the use of a SWAT team for the Columbia University operation, Assistant Chief Carlos Valdez, the commanding officer of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit, defended the decision, citing …