Pismo Beach police sergeant’s shooting death was an accident, coroner says
The recent shooting death of an Pismo Beach police sergeant was an accident caused by mishandling a firearm, coroner’s officials ruled Wednesday.
The San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office finalized its report on the Dec. 30, 2018, death of Pismo Beach police Sgt. Trevor Blevins, a veteran officer who had been with the department since 2007.
Pismo Beach police Chief Jake Miller had previously described the off-duty shooting a “firearm-related accident” that was not intentional.
Blevins, 36, died Dec. 30 shortly after being transported to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria from his Nipomo home.
According to the county Coroner’s Office report, the coroner’s investigator reported to Marian Medical Center and was told by a sheriff’s deputy that Blevins had been “taking measurements of a loaded firearm with a wooden yardstick.” The measurements were being taken to purchase leather to manufacture a holster, the report states.
The bullet struck Blevins in the left cheek, according to the report.
A toxicology screen found no trace of drugs or alcohol.
Following Blevins’ death, law enforcement officers from the county who had gathered at Marian Medical Center to support Blevins escorted his body in a procession from the hospital to the mortuary.
“Our department is mourning the loss of our officer,” Miller said at the time, adding that he and his colleagues wanted to thank their “law enforcement family” for the “outpouring of love and support for a fallen officer.”
