Houston police officer mistakenly fires AR-15 at Hobby Airport baggage claim

Houston police officers investigate the scene where a Houston police officer mistakenly discharged a gun inside the Hobby Airport baggage claim area Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Houston police officers investigate the scene where a Houston police officer mistakenly discharged a gun inside the Hobby Airport baggage claim area Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Photo: Jay R. Jordan Photo: Jay R. Jordan Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Houston police officer mistakenly fires AR-15 at Hobby Airport baggage claim 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

An AR-15 rifle wielded by a Houston police officer mistakenly fired into the floor at the baggage area of Hobby Airport on Thursday night, according to authorities.

The on-duty officer was patrolling the airport when the semi-automatic rifle went off around 8:15 p.m. at the southeast Houston travel hub, Houston police Capt. Jerome Stevens said during a press conference.

He said three airport employees and two civilians were in the baggage area when the rifle fired. No one was hurt, Stevens added.

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The officer was in an office at the airport waiting to give a statement about the shooting as Stevens spoke. An investigation would determine if he was negligent in his handling of the weapon.

"As far as I understand it, (the gun) was not dropped," Stevens said.

A yellow sign that typically warns of slick floors was used to cover the bullet hole left by the gunfire near baggage carousel three.

Jay R. Jordan contributed to this report.