Dancing FBI Agent Who Accidentally Shot Man in Denver Bar Allowed to Carry His Gun Again, Judge Rules

An FBI agent who shot a man in the leg after dropping his gun while doing a backflip on the dance floor of a Denver bar is allowed to carry his weapon again on and off duty, officials said Tuesday morning.

Chase Bishop, 29, had his protection order amended by a Denver judge during a Tuesday court appearance, said Ken Lane, Denver District Attorney spokesman.

The amendment was modified to let Bishop carry his service weapon on and off duty, “so long as it is done in a manner pursuant to FBI policy,” Lane said.

Bishop was previously charged with one count of second-degree assault in connection with the June 2 nightclub shooting.

Bishop turned himself in earlier in June after an arrest warrant was issued by Denver police.

Investigators had been waiting for a blood alcohol test to determine whether charges would be filed, but decided to file the second-degree assault charge without the test results.

After receiving the test results, Lane said no additional charges would be filed in the case.

Lane said the test results would not be released at this time.

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Bishop made international news earlier this month when a video of the shooting became public.

Bishop was partying at Mile High Spirits, a distillery and dance club in the Ballpark neighborhood, while off duty. In the video, Bishop danced in the center of a circle of people and then performed a backflip. During the flip, his gun fell from its holster. When Bishop picked it up, the gun fired. Bishop then placed the gun in his waistband and walked off the dance floor with his hands in the air.

The bullet hit the victim in an artery in his leg, according to previous news reports. The injury was serious but the man will recover, said his attorney Frank Azar.

FBI officials had refused to release Bishop’s name although he had been identified by other media outlets. The FBI also has not released any information about its policy for agents carrying weapons while off duty and in alcohol establishments.

Bishop’s Tuesday hearing was continued at his request until August 21.

Source: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/07/10/dancing-fbi-agent-carrying-weapon/