A veteran Boulder County sheriff’s commander accidentally shot himself in the leg Thursday while training at the department’s firing range near Longmont.

Cmdr. Rick Brough was taking part in routine training at the Longmont Police Department and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Firing Range and Training Facility at 10916 Weld County Road 5 at 9:40 a.m. when he accidentally fired a ball round from a .45-caliber handgun into his thigh while unholstering the gun, sheriff’s division chief Tommy Sloan said.

Sloan said Brough was transported to Medical Center of the Rockies near Loveland for treatment, and was released from the hospital by 3 p.m. Thursday.

Brough didn’t initially realize he’d shot himself, Sloan said, and continued firing through his practice found before notifying the range officer he was wounded a few moments later.

“He really didn’t feel the pain from the shot,” Sloan said. “I think he’s more embarrassed than anything. He’s a 34-year-veteran of this office and a good solid cop. He’s always really good at pointing out mistakes other people make in a fun way, so this will be good ammo for the rest of us to return fire.”

Sloan also said that when Brough shot himself, other sheriff’s office deputies administered first aid, using a tourniquet and gauze to stem the bleeding.

“There was a deputy on the line who is an Iraq war veteran, so he’s seen plenty of bullet wounds,” Sloan said. That deputy “said there was no exit wound and (the bullet) is probably in the femur, but didn’t get the artery because there wasn’t enough blood.”

Sloan said accidentally firing a handgun while unholstering it is one of the more common handgun injuries, and he was glad this accident wasn’t more serious

“It can be very tragic, and that’s why we’ve got the necessary precautions with the range officer and the first aid kit right there,” Sloan said.

Longmont police will primarily be handling the investigation into the incident and the sheriff’s office will follow up with an after-action review.

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci