Sheriff: 2 cops on paid leave after officer shot at academy

VASSALBORO, Maine – A sheriff in Maine says two corrections officers have been placed on paid leave after a fellow officer was shot in an apparent accident at a police training academy.

Matthew Morrison of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department was shot in the leg in a parking lot at the Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro on Monday. He was flown to a hospital for surgery and is recovering.

Police say Cumberland County corrections officer Matthew Begner shot Morrison. Investigators believe the shooting took place inside a pickup truck owned by another Cumberland County officer, Cody Gillis. Police say the gun is owned by Gillis.

WGME-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2sy9dWR ) that the academy director says corrections officers aren’t supposed to have guns on campus.

State police and the Cumberland County sheriff are both investigating.

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Information from: WGME-TV, http://www.wgme.com