Chase Bishop; “dance-pop” FBI agent arrested

| June 13, 2018

Eggs sends us a link to CBS News which reports that Chase Bishop, that FBI gent who had a negligent discharge while dancing at the Mile High Spirits bar in Denver, Colorado, has turned himself over to the local constabulary;

Bishop turned himself in to the Denver Sheriff Department on Tuesday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to Denver police.

Denver Police had previously said they were awaiting the results of alcohol and drug tests before making an arrest. The district attorney’s office said in a statement investigators are still awaiting the tests to determine Bishop’s blood alcohol content at the time of the incident, and additional charges may be pending.

The negligent discharge injured Thomas Reddington, who happened to be watching the spectacle.

Category: Dumbass Bullshit

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Jay

Gotta give the guy credit: screw a desk pop. He went full potato

A Proud Infidel®™

Not full potato, he went at LEAST ten degrees past that and full rutabaga!

Thunderstixx

He’s in the dead skunk category now…
Laying there in the hot Texas Sun, stinkin’ to high heaven !!!

HMCS(FMF) ret

John Seabee

He won’t even make it to the FBI bone yard i.e., Minot R/A.

Mason

As stoopid as he was, it did appear to be an accident. Must have some good evidence he was drunk to show negligence to make it criminal.

Martinjmpr

The gun falling out of his pants was an ‘accident.’

Him putting his finger INSIDE THE TRIGGER GUARD to pick it up was the negligence part.

OWB

Can’t even agree with any part of this being accidental. What would you expect to happen when inverting a holster without positive retention? Actually, would any of us sane folks practice our gymnastics moves while armed?

Mason

Can’t really disagree with you, OWB. He is a complete idiot. He’ll be paying that guy a lot of money if (when) he sues. As will the FBI, I’m sure.

I’m just saying that in order to charge him criminally, you’ve got a hard case to make unless he was sufficiently intoxicated. Show that video to a jury of regular folk and they won’t convict. Now show that video as part of a case in which his BAC is over the limit to drive and you’ve got a conviction. Remember that breaking department policy, which probably prohibits any alcohol and guns mixing, is not a criminal act.

OWB

Sorry – I wasn’t really thinking in terms of the criminality of the act/failure to act. But, that will depend entirely upon CO state law, which I agree is entirely different from the trouble he is in on the federal/agency level.

Of course, intoxication is a potential issue both locally and federally. He surely is toast with both. Difficult if not impossible to survive even misdemeanor charges involving a duty weapon and/or intoxication.

Martinjmpr

No, on two counts.

Bishop was charged with 2nd degree assault.

CRS 18-3-203 defines 2nd degree assault here:

https://advance.lexis.com/documentpage/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=29cfedf1-14fd-492a-a00a-92fcdcd9c497&title=18-3-203.+Assault+in+the+second+degree&nodepath=%2FROOT%2FAAS%2FAASAAJ%2FAASAAJAAC%2FAASAAJAACAAD&nodeid=AASAAJAACAAD&config=014FJAAyNGJkY2Y4Zi1mNjgyLTRkN2YtYmE4OS03NTYzNzYzOTg0OGEKAFBvZENhdGFsb2d592qv2Kywlf8caKqYROP5&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fstatutes-legislation%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5PC1-8350-004D-1567-00008-00&ecomp=g35v9kk&prid=c1580a85-dbaa-42a9-bef9-754c544a366e

For those that don’t want to go to the link, I’m presuming that the specific provision is this one:

A person commits the crime of assault in the second degree if:

(d) He recklessly causes serious bodily injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon;

The Colorado Criminal Code does not specifically define the term “reckless” but at Common Law, there is a distinction between “reckless” and “careless.” “Careless” usually means you were not aware of a danger that you SHOULD have been aware of. “Reckless”, OTOH, generally means that you WERE aware of the danger and chose to disregard it.

Certainly an experienced FBI agent can be presumed to know the dangers of mishandling a firearm in a crowded bar.

As I already stated, there is also CRS 18-12-106 which states that

1) A person commits a class 2 misdemeanor if:

(d) The person has in his or her possession a firearm while the person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor or of a controlled substance, as defined in section 18-18-102(5)

So there is no need for a “specific intent” with regards to the assault if it can be shown that Bishop was “reckless” and I think from the video it’s apparent that he was.

Mason

I agree, he is completely to blame here. Guns don’t just go off. He’s obviously as careless as a Clinton with an e-mail server.

Recklessness holds a higher burden of proof. His defense will have an easy time saying that he moved quickly to secure a loose weapon. As a trained LEO, he was concerned for the safety of the public in that his weapon could easily be stolen in such a crowded environment. In his zeal, as he grabbed it, the weapon went off. A jury will buy that.

I don’t even disagree with the charge. If Joe Schmo had done this, he’d have been in cuffs that evening. Just saying it’s a tough case to make that he was acting reckless. To you, me, and everyone who handles a firearm with reverence it is a clearly reckless course of events. To a jury of regular citizens, it’s a tough case to make. Despite all the BLM claptrap, citizens generally want to believe their LEOs are good people.

It’s probably a moot point, they’ll plea it down before it goes to a jury. He probably won’t even lose his job over it. I could tell you some stories of people who have retained their jobs and done things as bad or worse.

5JC

Not so many that are internet famous retain their job. They probably will get it down to Assault 3rd though though which is a misdemeanor.

Hopefully the FBI fires him anyway if he shown to be intoxicated. Being armed and intoxicated is well outside of policy.

RM3(SS)

My opinion, he pleads it down, tells the Famous But Incompetent that he “has a problem” and goes to EAP, they send him to rehab, move him far away (think Anchorage, Guam or Puerto Rico) and he hides there for a few years. They spend a lot of money hiring and training new agents, and are loathe to ditch them.

CCO

PR has enough problems.

Then again, maybe dude can rebuild his career while helping rebuild the island.

charles w

The guy already hired a lawyer. He hired Frank Azar, whose commercials are on 24/7 here in the area. Frank likes money…..

Hack Stone

5JC

He will be found to be out of policy and off duty. The FBI won’t cover him for the lawsuit. He is going to go bankrupt over one night full of bad decisions.

NHSparky

Can’t speak for CO, but I know in some states there is a lowered threshold for intoxication if you’re carrying.

Most that have lowered limits are 0.04 percent, and IIRC, a few are as low as 0.02 percent.

desert

Whew, smells like a dumocrap in here ! 😉

11B-Mailclerk

So wash your clothes more often.

QMC

Maybe he can write a book about higher loyalty or some other such nonsense on his down time.

Club Manager, USA ret.

“Drunk” in a bar. Who would have thought. What a prick that local prosecutor must be.

Mike W.

Drunk in a bar, with a GUN in a crap holster [never mind the MOB placement stupidity] and an FBI agent.
Um, nope, f*ck him, charge him, convict him. No FBI job.

Berliner

OWB

Ahhhhh, the 80’s. Great disco tunes for exercise.

Did hear a good story once about somebody’s handcuffs getting loose on a dancefloor. Understand they were quietly retrieved and properly stowed. May or may not have been embarrassing.

A Proud Infidel®™

HEY Chase Bishop, IMHO YOU’RE A DUMB BITCH when it comes to handling firearms while in a crowd of people.

Green Thumb

Moron.

Can him ASAP.

Yef

To be an accidental discharge it would have to be a mechanical error without human intervention.

That was a ND.

JacktheJarhead

I guess they couldn’t seep this under the rug!! Good, moron should be canned!

Atkron

I thought accidental discharge is when you get the clap, after the condom breaks.

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

No, that is a negligent discharge. An accidental discharge is when it happens when she just breathes on it.

Hondo

Methinks that shows negligence, Aktron. Both in choice of partner and “auxiliary equipment”. (smile)

I can indeed think of a couple of scenarios involving true “accidental discharges”. You probably can too.

Or you could just watch the opening scene of the young Bob Fosse-like character in All That Jazz.(smile)

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

Well if you get any jail time which I doubt but in case you do, you can spend time playing chess Bishop.

rgr1480

Check …. mate~

Perry Gaskill

There should be strict background checks for those who could be subject to the onset of happy feet…

Poetrooper

The question begging to be asked in this scenario is whether or not this young man possesses the judgment and common sense to be an FBI agent. What the hell was he doing in a bar with a gun on his hip? Sure, LEO’s usually are exempt from the no firearms rules that most states have for places where liquor is served, but shouldn’t common sense dictate that exemption be observed by discreet concealed carry?

HMCS(FMF) ret

Key words, Poe… “COMMON SENSE”. Chase Bishop displayed none of that.

My deceased father always said that there was an inverse relationship between common sense and knowledge – “the higher the education, the lower the common sense” – and I’ve found throughout my 55 years on Earth that he was right on that.

Thanks God he wasn’t alive when I got my MBA three years ago… I’d never hear the end of it from him.

Casey

For what it’s worth the CBS article says he was off duty and on vacation when this happened.

Mason

That explains the dancing. As the once great George Michael said, “Guilty feet have got no rhythm.”

BlueCord Dad

My first FTO said it best, “alcohol & gunpowder don’t mix”. If I was drinking I was never armed.

Martinjmpr

Sure, LEO’s usually are exempt from the no firearms rules that most states have for places where liquor is served, but shouldn’t common sense dictate that exemption be observed by discreet concealed carry?

There is no such law in CO. People with CCW permits are allowed to carry in places that serve alcohol, as are LEO’s.

It IS a class 2 misdemeanor to be in possession of a firearm while “under the influence” of alcohol or drugs and there is no LEO exemption to that law.

luddite4change

You almost have to assume that he either wasn’t tested or didn’t blow high enough to achieve “under the influence”; otherwise, there would be a charge which would be much easier to prove than 2nd Degree Assault.

Fyrfighter

Local news said something about his background as an Army Captain… wonder if he knows Becky..

FatCircles0311

Anyone else would have been arrested on the spot. Him being possibly drunk is irrelevant to the crime he committed which has a mandatory sentence of 5 years. The guy that was shot could have easily been killed. Point is such gross negligence from somebody who is supposedly above the law in regards to gun laws everyone else has to follow and supposedly trained is simply atrocious any which way you look at it. FBI should have canned his ass already.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

When I started working for Brink’s back in 1970, the older low ride holsters had a spring clip that was against the trigger guard so you had to push the clip to release the gun but the finger was inside the trigger guard which was not too safe. Through the years, we went to low ride holsters with retention straps, holsters that you would have to twist the gun to draw it out then right after 9/11 we were issued S&W 4040 six’s with imitation leather holsters and belts but to get to draw the gun out, you had to push it at a certain angle to release it. The new holsters were high rise that were at the belt line which meant a shorter arc on the drawer but the companies policy was that you had to have the weapon out while making/picking up valuables unless on Port Authority property or a customers request. So if you were carrying your weapon in a vertical position (arm straight down) you were back to square one for a longer arc for raising your arm to fire if the caca hit the fan. These new holsters were reccomended by retired LEO’S that Brink’s hired for nation wide security advise and training.

Martinjmpr

Having said the above, it seems likely that the agent will probably bargain the charge down to a misdemeanor so as to not lose his gun possession rights.

I would imagine his career at the FBI is probably not going to last much longer either, or at the very best, he’ll be chained to a desk and given the most undesirable job in the most undesirable field office in the bureau.

As for the civil side, I presume the victim will file a claim VS the FBI under the Federal Tort Claims Act. It would be interesting to see if the Feds would try to deny liability on the grounds that Bishop was not acting in his “official capacity” but I assume that would probably result in too much negative publicity and a settlement with the victim is a much likelier outcome.

The victim has already retained a well-known Denver lawyer so you know the suit is coming…

Fyrfighter

Kinda unrelated, but funny thing about that “well-known Denver Lawyer”.. years ago, I ran a wreck on a snowy night. We get there, car in a ditch, no driver (usually a sign of a drunk, someone with a warrant, or illegal alien). A quick look around reveals that there in the fresh snow is a single set of tracks, leading away from the car (it was 2am).. We followed the tracks half a block to a large evergreen bush, and guess who we found hiding under the bush, drunk as a skunk??? The Denver lawyer you mentioned…it was worth a chuckle.. I hope he’s a better lawyer than driver / drunk/ get away artist…

ChipNASA
charles w

Funny, none of that is mentioned in his nonstop commercials.

USAF(Ret)

Martinjmpr wrote:

Having said the above, it seems likely that the agent will probably bargain the charge down to a misdemeanor so as to not lose his gun possession rights.

I believe that any plea should include lost of his gun possession rights.

Hack Stone

But he can still dance, can’t he?

OWB

No better than he could before.

Note to self: Watch the vid should you ever think alcohol and firearms might improve the ability to dance.

Mason

Already replied above with some of the same thoughts. It’ll get pled down to some misdemeanor like discharging a firearm in city limits. He’ll be pushed out of sight for a few years until he earns back some trust.

The victim will sue (Bishop and the FBI, but the real target is the FBI, much deeper pockets). The personal injury lawyers (and usually the victims) like quick, easy payouts. So when the government lawyers offer him a couple hundred grand, he’ll take it. There’ll be an NDA clause, and it’ll be like this all never happened. Except that like the “I’m the only one qualified to handle this firearm -BOOM-” DEA agent, the video will be an everlasting punchline and object lesson during initial firearms training.

Mason

This was supposed to be a response to Martinjmpr.

Mr. Sharkman

Still tryind to figure out ‘how?’

Anyone know what the FBI’s standard issue Pislola is and/or what make & model of the pistol involvwsd in the AD incident?

More later-

GDContractor

From the video, it looked like the pistol fired because his finger was on the trigger. It looked like that he picked it up with his index finger on the trigger and his thumb behind the butt of the pistol. As he gripped the pistol that way and lifted it off the ground, it fired.

charles w

According to the internet, the new FBI firearm is the Glock 17M.

Martinjmpr

From the video it appears to be a Glock of some type. I have a buddy (old Army roommate) who was with the FBI for 20 years and his carry piece was a Glock 23.

Since the Glock has no external safety other than the “trigger safety”, trying to pick it up off the floor by putting one’s finger inside the trigger guard could absolutely cause it to fire.

Had it been a Springfield XD, it would not have fired because the Springfield has a grip safety.

martinjmpr

Should point out I am not a fan of grip safetys but I guess if FBI agents are going to engage in this kind of behavior a grip safety might be a good idea. 😉

rgr769

To me, it looked like a Glock model 23 (.40 cal.). That would explain why it went off when he snatched it off the floor with his finger on the trigger, depressing the trigger safety.

RM3(SS)

When I worked for ICE the authorized weapon was the Sig P229 with the Glock 26 and S&W .38 2″ for offduty carry. I know some of the FBI agents I talked to said they could carry whatever their SAC authorized and I know one that toted a S&W 625.
This guys gun looked like a Glock, most of the agents I had contact with carried Glocks or Sigs.

Smaj

Young Chase here clearly does not have the emotional maturity or good common sense to be an FBI agent. I hope the victim sues the FBI and soon-to-be-ex-Agent Bishop personally. Were you or I to commit this crime we’d be in jail for several years.

Hack Stone

It’s all a big misunderstanding. A waitress asked Thomas Reddington what he would like, and Chase Bishop heard Thomas Reddington say “I’d like a shot.”

2/17 Air Cav

Time was that I would sympathize with a poor SOB such as Bishop, but it’s the FBI and their badges are completely tarnished, thanks to their managers and administrators.

Curtis W. Koehler

Aside from the agent’s poor decision making; this would not have happened if he had been equipped with a Sig Sauer DA/SA.

First, a DA/SA has a much-much longer trigger-pull than the Glock; that alone may have saved him and his victim.

Second the DA/SA trigger-pull is several pounds heavier than the Glock; the combination of those two factors would (99%) have prevented an accidental discharge.

Glock is a dangerous weapon when it comes to accidental discharges. For all those that disagree with me; research the reports on AD’s and see how many come from DA/SA or DAO as compared to striker-fired pistols.