38 year old Steven Buckley remains in critical condition at the private ward of the KHMH tonight. There has been no significant improvement in his condition and he still has not responded consciously to anyone, cannot move the right side of his body and has lost his right eye.
We are told that the commissioner of police met with his family today and police have taken full responsibility for his medical costs.
But the officer who fired the shotgun that injured him with 16 pellets to the head remains of administrative leave with full pay. Because he is an inspector, police need approval form the public services commission to place him on interdiction with half pay and according to their press officer - they are waiting for clearance to do that.
Police investigators say that only evidence of one expended shell was found at the scene and until a report comes in from the force armourer - that is the position. It differs greatly with multiple eyewitness accounts which say two shots were fired form the shotgun. A critical difference because the officer says the shot he fired was accidental, but two shots...? Well, that had to be deliberate.
But those with some knowledge of pump action shotguns say that the reason police only found on expended shell is because the other one could likely still have been in the weapon. The way these guns work, the expended cartridge is only ejected when a new round is loaded - so if two shots were fired - gun experts say - that doesn't necessarily mean two cartridges would have been ejected - only one necessarily had to be ejected.
It's a theory, but right now it doesn't factor into the police investigation, which as we said is awaiting the final report from the force armourer.
