Deputy’s gun accidentally goes off at John Wayne Airport, striking another employee’s arm

The gun of an Orange County sheriff’s sergeant accidentally went off Wednesday morning at John Wayne Airport, hitting another employee in the arm, authorities said.

The service weapon discharged at about 7 a.m. in an administrative office of the airport, sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

The round penetrated a wall before it hit the employee, a woman in her 50s, who was in another room.

The employee was taken to a hospital for her injury, which is not considered life-threatening, Braun said.

The administration office is not open to the public or airport passengers. The incident did not affect any airport operations, Braun said.

Details were not immediately available about what led to the fired shot or how the deputy’s employment status would be affected.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office would investigate the shooting and the Sheriff’s Department would do its own investigation as well.