Navy SEAL who accidentally shot himself in head while showing off gun to woman he met in bar DIES
- He thought 9mm handgun was unloaded
- Died Saturday after being taken off life support
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Shooting: Geno Clayton thought his pistol was unloaded
A Navy SEAL has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while showing a gun to a woman he had met in a bar.
The 22-year-old, identified by the Navy as Petty Officer Third Class Gene 'Geno' Clayton, Jr, was playing with a 9mm handgun he believed was unloaded when he pulled the trigger Thursday.
He was rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital, in La Jolla, San Diego.
Mr Clayton was taken off life support early Saturday morning.
He was born in Poland, Ohio and joined the Navy in 2010 as special warfare operator.
Navy sources say he completed his SEAL training in December and was assigned to a West Coast special warfare unit, according to UTsandiego.com
The shooting happened about 2am at a house in Pacific Beach, a popular ocean-front community north of the city.
Danger missions: U.S. Navy SEALs have operated in hotspots around the world from Grenada to Afghanistan
San Diego police said the sailor had got out several weapons to show the woman and despite her asking him to put them away he insisted they were safe.
He was handling the gun and pointed it at his head to show her it wasn’t loaded when the tragedy happened.
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ShareBoth had been drinking at a local bar earlier that night.
The SEAL had just completed his basic qualification training and had been assigned to one of the special forces' elite teams.
Tributes to Mr Clayton were posted on his Facebook page where one message said: 'RIP Gene. You were a great guy, everybody will miss you greatly.'
TRAINED TO WAGE WAR IN SECRET
Navy SEALs can trace their roots to the Second World War. The U.S.Navy recognized the need for the covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and coastal defenses.
As a result the Amphibious Scout and Raider School was established in 1942 at Fort Pierce, Florida. The acronym is derived from their capacity to operate at sea, in the air, and on land.
In the War on Terror, SEALs have been used almost exclusively for land-based operations, including hostage rescue, counter terrorism, unconventional warfare and foreign internal defence operations.
Vietnam veteran and retired Marine David Miller told 10News that no one who's been drinking should handle weapons.
'That's when your judgment's impaired and your weapon should be put away,' said Miller.
'If you follow basic safety rules, you don't have accidents. In other words, you don't point the weapon someplace you don't intend to shoot it and you always assume it's loaded.'
In a statement, Commodore Collin Green, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group One, said the community was 'deeply saddened' by the incident and extends 'our hearts and prayers' to the family.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is now investigating the shooting.
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