Girl, seven, injured as police officer fires gun during prize-winners' visit A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said the officer involved has been taken off firearms duties while the inquiry takes place. "At the end of a brief talk from firearms officers there was an accidental discharge of a police issued firearm into the ground," the spokesman said. Following the incident a seven-year-old Nottinghamshire girl, who was part of the visiting group, was found with a minor injury to her lip. The cause of that injury will now form part of the investigation. It was at first thought the victim could have been injured by a bullet ricoche but Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said he believed it had been caused by an ammunition cartridge which fell and bounced as the weapon was fired. Mr Tipping said there should have been no live ammunition in the room during the talk, and all weapons should have been unloaded. He said: "I'm shocked, concerned and alarmed at this serious incident. I have received assurances from the chief constable that it won't happen again. He said the girl's parents and grandparents, who have not been named, had been in "extensive contact" with Chris Eyre, the chief constable, over the last week. It was unclear what type of weapon was involved in the accident but the force's standard issue sidearm is the Walther P99, while the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun is also widely used by British forces. Simon Torr, the force's assistant chief constable, said: "We are conducting a thorough inquiry to determine exactly how this unfortunate incident happened and have also referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. We have spoken to the parents who were visiting force headquarters with their children to explain what happened and have apologised for any distress caused. In previous similar incidents, people injured by accidental discharges from police weapons have sued for damages. Keith Tilbury, 56, a police control room operator, was taking part in Thames Valley Police firearms awareness training in May 2007 when Pc David Micklethwaite shot him in the stomach. Mr Tilbury was blown off his chair and thrown half way across the room, causing devastating injuries. He agreed a six-figure compensation pay-out from the force in January 2010. Micklethwaite, who believed he had loaded a "dummy" round, was convicted under health and safety legislation two years after the incident, and ordered to pay an £8,000 fine and £8,000 costs. He avoided facing any disciplinary action from the force by retiring. At the time of the settlement, Mr Tilbury said: "During a training class for 999 call operators, the firearms training officer took a revolver, loaded it and fired it, almost killing me, causing major injuries and certainly putting an end to my career. I am pleased that Thames Valley Police have acknowledged that mistakes were made and that I have been awarded compensation that will help me to deal with the injuries I have suffered and pay for any future treatment that I may need. The latest incident took place at Sherwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire Police's headquarters, north of Nottingham.