Deputy got suspended after he shot his gun inside a Peach County school

The deputy who mistakenly shot a gun in a school in Fort Valley faced a brief suspension, according to records from the Peach County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy John Stinson, an on-duty school resource officer, said he accidentally fired his semi-automatic pistol around 7:45 a.m. on Friday, April 18. It was 30 minutes after school began at Peach County High School, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office obtained by The Telegraph.

Stinson said he was inside a stall of the school administration’s men’s bathroom when placed his gun on the door handle.

“As I was exiting the stall ..., I reached to retrieve my weapon off the door handle and it discharged a round,” Stinson said in the incident report.

No one was injured and “normal operations of the school were not disrupted,” Sheriff Buck Shannon said on Facebook about an hour and a half after the incident happened.

Stinson immediately reported the incident to Sgt. James Perry, Deputy Avril Cox – a school resource officer – and Assistant Principal Russell Lawley, according to the incident report.

Perry then went to the school and told Stinson to go speak with Capt. John Edwards or Capt. Brian Goggin at the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office described the incident as an “accidental discharge,” the incident report said.

All school resource officers always carry loaded guns on duty, Shannon previously told The Telegraph.

Shannon did not immediately respond to The Telegraph’s request for comment.

Peach County deputy’s suspension

Stinson broke a uniform policy that said he should not have removed the gun from the holster on his belt, records show.

The sheriff’s office suspended Stinson for three days without pay and required him to take a gun safety class after the incident, according to a deputy corrective action report obtained by The Telegraph.

He “(failed) to utilize issued gear and equipment effectively ... (and) retain safety and control” of his on-duty weapon, in accordance with department policy, the report said.

Stinson was suspended April 23-25.

He was also required to take a semi-automatic pistol fundamentals course, which is meant to improve an officer’s confidence in their pistol skills, at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. It was unclear if he took the class by Friday.

Certified and sworn law enforcement officers that “struggle with semi-automatic pistol marksmanship fundamentals” must take the course, the GPSTC course description said.

The in-person class features “repetitive drills in efficient drawing, learning visual centering, controlled pairs, and more basic skills,” the GPSTC said.

The course requires officers to practice with a “semi-automatic pistol, duty belt with retention holster and magazine pouch” and ammunition.

“Dep. Stinson will take every precaution in the future to ensure a similar incident never occurs again,” the deputy corrective action report said.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM.