An off-duty Boston police officer faced a judge Wednesday after authorities say he accidentally fired a gun and hit his wife following an argument in their Hyde Park home on Christmas Eve, and telling investigators that his wife had shot herself.
Thirty-two-year-old Korey Franklin was released on personal recognizance following his arraignment at West Roxbury District Court on charges of reckless assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling and misleading an investigation.
Police said officers responded to Franklin's home at 1:04 p.m. on Monday for a call of a person shot. When they arrived, authorities said a woman, later identified as Franklin's wife, was inside the home suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her hip.
Franklin's wife, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to a local hospital. Her current condition is unclear.
Authorities said Franklin initially told investigators that his wife shot herself; however, police determined that Franklin had accidentally fired the gun, which resulted in his wife being shot. Franklin was arrested as a result of the investigation.
As part of his release on personal recognizance, Franklin was ordered to stay away from his wife, not leave the state without the approval of probation officers, and give up all firearms.
In a statement, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said the department takes the incident "very seriously."
"This arrest clearly shows that the Boston Police Department has the ability to police ourselves and that we hold our officers to the same standards as the citizens we serve and protect," said Gross.
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Franklin, who had received an Ezekiel W. Hodson Police Officer of the Year award last year, walked out of court with his coat over his face, refusing to comment on the seriousness of the charges or his release.
"He's been a very popular well-decorated police officer," said defense attorney Ken Anderson.
He's due back in court Feb. 5.
