In 21 years as a Fall River police officer, Thomas J. Giunta saw his share of dangerous assignments. Handing out parking permits for a church fair wasn't supposed to be one of them.
But it turned out to be his last. Giunta died Wednesday when three bullets from his own .357-caliber Magnum were fired into his chest, allegedly by a man later described as mentally unstable.For some officers, the most dangerous weapon they'll face is the one in their holster, and the threat is often greatest when they least expect it.
Three days before Giunta's death, Boston police officer William J. Cullinane Jr. was wounded at his station house, allegedly by a prisoner who complained about tight handcuffs, then grabbed Cullinane's gun as the officer tried to loosen them.
Eighteen months earlier, officer Thomas Rose was killed with his gun at another Boston police station by a prisoner he was taking to make a phone call.
Across the country, 103 officers were killed with their own guns from 1983 through 1992, according to the most recent statistics from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. That accounts for almost one of every six officers shot to death.
It's not known how many officers are wounded but survived such incidents.
Firearms specialists say the shootings are almost always preventable if officers stay alert to potential danger in even the most routine assignment.
"One of the things officers need to realize is that every call they go on, there's at least one person with a gun and that's them," said Ed Nowicki, a police training specialist at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
"Police officers are human just like anyone else. After years of routine activity, a lot of officers let their guard down, especially if you're involved in a mundane assignment where you're not thinking of anything," said Capt. Mark Dunston.