Chase Bishop, Nickamed ‘Dancing FBI Agent’ Because His Gun Went Off While He Busted Moves, Turns Himself In
Chase Bishop, the FBI agent who was dancing and doing backflips at a Denver nightclub when his gun allegedly went off, has turned himself in to Denver police pending charges, CNN is reporting.
Back on June 2, Bishop was cutting a rug at Mile High Spirits, a Denver bar, when he did a backflip. While he was mid-air, his gun fell out of his waistband holder and onto the floor. When he went down to pick it up, it allegedly fired a shot, striking a patron in the leg. Bishop then put the gun back in its holder, raised his hands above his head, and walked away.
Video of the incident went viral shortly afterwards.
“Damn. I always thought that white people were bad at dancing, but I didn’t know they were actually dangerous.”
Trevor reacts to footage of an FBI agent accidentally firing his gun while dancing: https://t.co/xa4wOApOQh pic.twitter.com/9nw5aiWLbc
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 5, 2018
As for the man who was shot, KMGH-TV (Denver) reports that the bullet struck an artery. The victim, identified by KMGH as Tom Reddington, could have bled to death within minutes, but thankfully, a quick-thinking patron used his belt to apply a tourniquet to Reddington’s leg. Reddington has met with a vascular surgeon and is expected to recover. Meanwhile, Wyn Ferrell, the owner of Mile High Spirits, has promised the gunshot victim free drinks for life.
Full video: Tom Reddington talks to @GMA about the "beyond bizarre" incident in which he was shot by a dancing FBI agent in Denver.https://t.co/R4Xaq8MPJ5
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) June 7, 2018
“I don’t blame the guy. I’m not vindictive at all. I don’t want to ruin his life. At this point, there’s nothing we can do to fix it. So, let’s just move on and deal with it as best we can.”
In Denver, lots of people are demanding answers. In particular, they’d like to know how the FBI agent, who brought his gun into a business that prohibited firearms, was able to walk away from the incident. David Lane, a legal expert contacted by KMGH, said that if anyone else had discharged a gun in such a way, they’d have been taken downtown immediately.
“Had that been ‘Joe Citizen’ in that bar doing exactly the same thing, the cops would have been there in a heartbeat. They would have slapped the cuffs on him and he would have been in jail on a fairly high bond. Because anybody acting that ridiculously stupid should be in jail on a high bond.”
Similarly, Ferrell would like a word with the FBI about the behavior of their man, who is based in Washington but was visiting Denver.
“It is shocking that the only shooting to ever occur at our establishment came about as a result of an FBI agent entering our distillery tasting room carrying a loaded firearm without our knowledge, in violation of our rules.”
As of this writing, Bishop has not yet been charged with any crimes, although he’s being held in a Denver detention facility pending charges. It is unclear when formal charges will be levied against him and what charges will be filed. It is also not clear if Bishop’s employment with the FBI has been terminated.
