Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California
End of Watch: Monday, March 20, 1967
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: March 20, 1967
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Not available
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Michael Wigderson was accidentally shot and killed during a training exercise at the Reserve Academy at 1060 North Eastern Avenue in Los Angeles.
The exercise involved Reserve Deputy Wigderson and another reserve deputy making a felony traffic stop. When the instructor who was driving the target vehicle stopped, he jumped out and fired a .22 caliber revolver several times. Two of the rounds struck Deputy Wigderson and a third round struck the other deputy.
Deputy Wigderson succumbed to his wounds while being transported to a local hospital.
It was later determined that the instructor believed that the revolver had been loaded with blanks, but had failed to fully inspect the ammunition in the gun prior to using it.
Deputy Wigderson was survived by his wife, parents, and sister.