Sandy MaloneTexas City, TX – A police academy cadet has been charged after he negligently discharged a weapon in his backpack and shot three of his classmates on Thursday.
Police said that 21-year-old Clayton Whatley was attending class at Mainland Law Enforcement Training Academy on Amburn Road at about 7:40 p.m. on April 25 when the incident occurred, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Texas City police said Whatley was carrying a loaded handgun in his backpack and unintentionally discharged the weapon when he reached into the bag, KPRC reported.
The one bullet struck three of Whatley’s classmates. Two of the cadets were shot in their calves, and a third received only a graze wound.
None of the injuries were life threatening and the two cadets who were shot in the leg were transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for treatment, according to KPRC.
The cadet who was only grazed by the bullet received medical treatment at the scene, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Officers took Whatley into custody immediately after the shooting.
He was arrested and charged with unlawful carrying of weapons inside an institution of higher education.
The now-former police cadet was being held in the Texas City jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond, the Houston Chronicle reported.
It was expected that Whatley will be transferred to the Galveston County Jail, according to the Spring Patch.
The Mainland Law Enforcement Training Academy offers training to police officers and deputies from multiple jurisdictions, KPRC reported.
It was not known with which department Whatley was affiliated.
Police have not yet released the names of the three cadets who were wounded during the incident.
The incident continues to be under investigation, according to the Spring Patch.