Police officer fired gun while cleaning Columbia University building, authorities say

A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer fired a gun while clearing a Columbia University building that had been taken over by protesters earlier this week, authorities said.

The Emergency Response Unit (ESU) officer “accidentally” fired the gun while searching the first floor of the building, according to the department, which added that only police officers were nearby when the gun went off.

The bullet did not hit anyone, but hit a picture frame on the wall, the NYPD added.

“At approximately 9:38 p.m., an Emergency Service Unit officer was conducting an extensive and methodical search of an area on the first floor,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “During this time, he was attempting to access a barricaded area.”

“The ESU officer has a firearm equipped with a flashlight and was illuminating the area to find the best way to navigate the barricaded area. The officer accidentally discharged his firearm, causing a single shot to be fired. The bullet hit a frame in the wall a few meters away. The bullet did not hit anyone and caused no injuries.”

The spokesperson also said an “immediate” investigation was conducted and authorities determined the gun was fired accidentally. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office received body camera footage from the dismissal, the spokesperson added.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called police to help clear Hamilton Hall after protesters forced their way into the building on Monday and refused to leave on Tuesday. NYPD officers were seen entering the building through a second-story window on Tuesday night, before clearing the building and dismantling two protest camps.

Pro-Palestinian protests have begun to emerge at Columbia and other schools in recent weeks, with students demonstrating the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and calling on their institutions to divest from Israel.

Nearly 2,200 people were arrested during the campus protests, according to the Associated Press, with more than 100 arrested during the crackdown in Columbia.