Range Chief Dies in Gun Accident

As a weapons expert, Joseph Samuel Boyd painstakingly trained police officers for nearly every possible situation. But on Wednesday, the range master killed himself in perhaps the only scenario he could not prepare for: a freak accident.

Boyd, a widely admired civilian employee and former Marine, died when he suffered a single shot to the neck as he examined what police said was an outlawed MAC-10 9mm assault gun.

Police Lt. Bob Helton said Boyd had a hand in training every sworn officer, and his death Wednesday cast a pall over the entire department.

Reached by phone, Boyd’s daughter, Cynthia Journeay, said her father was respected by everyone he met. “He was somebody I looked up to,” she added, sobbing.

The incident points to the dangers always involved with handling firearms, Helton said.

“It’s unbelievable that you could have an accident with someone who was so knowledgeable,” said Helton, who added that it was the first accidental shooting death of an employee in the department’s history.

Two Santa Ana investigators, including a homicide investigator, brought the weapon to Boyd at the department’s on-site range to test fire it, a common occurrence as police try to establish a link between a weapon and a crime, Helton said.

Boyd, 54, apparently was holding the gun away from himself and checking on a possible jam when it appears that he accidentally flipped the gun selector to fully automatic, Helton said.

It appeared that the weapon jerked toward him as it unexpectedly released a spray of bullets, hitting Boyd’s neck below his right jawline, Helton said. Neither investigator was injured.

Boyd was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana and was pronounced dead on arrival, Helton said.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office is investigating the shooting at the request of Santa Ana police.

Helton said the department wanted an independent, third party to investigate the shooting to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. He also said that it would be difficult for grieving officers to investigate the shooting.

Boyd, of Lake Forest, is survived by his wife of 34 years, Marion, and two adult children. Friends said he was devoted to his twin grandchildren who are about 2.

A family friend, Len Hayes, said he had just spoken to Boyd on Wednesday morning.

“He was in great spirits and had everything to live for,” said Hayes.

When the two had lunch at a Santa Ana sandwich shop the day before, Hayes said, Boyd had talked about entering a shooting competition.

Santa Ana police officials said it was too early to tell whether the incident would lead to any changes in procedure and stressed that it appeared to be an accident.

“He was so safety-conscious,” Police Chief Paul M. Walters said of Boyd, who joined the department in 1993. “It was something beyond his control.”

Walters said Boyd won the city’s top service award last year for his outstanding work in training officers.

Boyd employed state of the art techniques, according to a city newsletter, and Helton noted how Boyd would set up police cars with flashing lights in the shooting range to simulate real-life circumstances.

Helton added that he himself was tested by Boyd, who in one incident had Helton shoot while wearing a sports coat to simulate a more realistic scenario.

Boyd’s death shook firearms instructors in other cities, particularly since the group is a tight-knit community that meets often to discuss weapons training.

“He was always this crusty old Marine who had an incredible amount of knowledge when it came to firearms,” said Tom Rosselli, range master for the Anaheim Police Department. “He knew his stuff. But above all, he was always, always professional.”

Hayes said Boyd served with the Marines in Vietnam and returned home without injury.

“It was absolutely a bolt of lightning,” Hayes said of Boyd’s death. “A man who had survived combat in Vietnam who was unquestionably one of the safest firearms instructors in the country.”

Helton said this is the first incident of any kind since the department opened this firing range last August.

Don Blankenship, head of the police union, said many officers were still in disbelief at Boyd’s death.

“When you mention being shot, and you mention Joe Boyd’s name in the same breath, it’s not compatible,” he said.

Also contributing to this story were Times staff writers Bonnie Hayes and David Reyes.