Bainbridge Island police are seeking a second opinion on why an officer’s AR 15-style police rifle went off while he was rushing to the scene of an officer-in-distress call last month inside the Clearwater Casino.

No one was injured when the rifle fired, said Bainbridge Police Chief Matthew Hamner, as the officer ran into the casino.

The rifle discharged a single round, Hamner said, and it went into the floor.

The incident happened at the Suquamish casino just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19. Two officers were trying to take someone into custody when the person resisted, prompting a bystander to call 911.

Hamner said the Bainbridge officer was rushing into the casino at a fast walk/jog when the rifle fired.

“The round went off right into the floor,” Hamner said.

The officer carrying the weapon did not pull the trigger, he added, and the rifle may have caught on the officer’s clothing or gear as he scurried into the casino.

“He said, ‘I didn’t touch it.’ His hand was not on the trigger or the safety,” Hamner said.

“It is extremely disconcerting to me,” Hamner said, adding that the department first wants to know if the firearm is defective, and secondly, if the incident should prompt any changes in policies or procedures.

The chief said the weapon has been tested by the Washington State Patrol crime lab, but results were inconclusive.

“They could not find a problem with the gun,” Hamner said.

The incident, and weapon, are now being reviewed by Kitsap County. Hamner said he wanted an independent look into the mishap by an outside agency, but said regardless of the outcome, the weapon that apparently misfired will not be used again by Bainbridge police.

The officer who fired the gun was not suspended over the incident.

“It was an accident; I don’t believe there was any willful misconduct,” Hamner said.