Philip Haney: What Happened? A Third Possibility

Philip Haney

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office has apologized for an earlier statement made to the effect that former DHS whistle blower Philip Haney had died from an apparent suicide near his home in Northern California. They assure the public that a full investigation is on-going and that nothing is being ruled out. Many who knew Philip insist that he was in a positive frame of mind, was going to be re-married, and absolutely would not have committed suicide. Several have reported that over the past year, Philip had made statements to them to the effect that if he turned up dead, it would not be suicide. It is true that Philip, while being loved and respected by those around him and who worked with him in the counter-jihad movement, had many enemies. Radical jihadists would have to be considered a threat as well as people in the government (especially the previous administration) whom Philip had clearly angered. So the question being asked is whether it was murder or suicide.

But what if there was a third possibility? I admit the chances are slim, but not out of the realm of possibility. People have been killed by their own weapons by an accidental discharge. I know. I personally experienced it in 1977 when I was a DEA agent stationed in Bangkok, Thailand. I am going to leave out the agent’s name, but he and I had recently been assigned as partners to work liaison with a particular drug unit in the Thai Police. He had not yet met these colleagues, and we were about to leave our office in the embassy and go to the police hqs. The agent told me he had to put his gun away in his office first. He had recently purchased a Thomas model 45. When he first showed it to me earlier, I felt very uncomfortable with it because of its safety mechanism. (The company is no longer in business.)

As I waited for the agent at the front door of the office, we heard a bang and one of the secretaries alerted us that something had happened. What had happened was that the agent was in the process of putting his weapon in a locker in his office and it had somehow dropped to the floor and discharged. The bullet passed through a vertical bar lock he was holding and entered his body. The embassy medical unit got him to the nearest hospital, but about three hours later, he died in surgery.

It can happen.

I also recall being a military policeman in Germany back in the 60s. We all carried  Colt 45s. At that time, we were not allowed to carry a round in the chamber, and when starting duty we had to go outside the MP station to a gun barrel to put the magazine in the gun. We repeated the process upon leaving duty. There were incidents where the MP wasn’t paying attention and accidentally fired off a round.

Virtually every law enforcement agency has seen incidents of accidental discharges. Strict rules keep them to a minimum, but they can happen.

My own personal preference was to carry a revolver. I understand the reasoning behind carrying semi-automatics, but I was just not as comfortable with them as a simple revolver.

I am not stating in any way that Philip Haney’s case was an accidental discharge. I don’t know what kind of gun was involved or if it was even his. The point is that none of us know, and we have to let the investigation play out. Considering who he was and the work he was doing, it is vital that a full and thorough investigation be conducted to determine what exactly happened  and if any others were involved. Remember that Philip was a real whistle blower-not like the one we have been reading about the last year being shielded by Adam Schiff. Unlike that “whistle blower”, Philip Haney put his name and face behind every thing he said. He was a hero. Whatever the truth is, he deserves a full investigation. His family, friends, and the public need to know the truth, and I believe we’ll get it.