Australian police officer Dominic Gaynor has pleaded guilty to “carrying a firearm with disregard” and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service after he pulled a gun on a fellow officer who threatened to spoil Top Gun: Maverick for him, Variety reports. It doesn’t sound like Gaynor actually intended to shoot the other officer, Morgan Royston, but at the same time, pulling out a gun, even as a joke, is no laughing matter. From Variety:
The court documents reveal that Royston told Gaynor, “I’ll spoil it for you.” Gaynor responded by telling Royston, “Don’t spoil the movie” and “I’ll shoot you.” He proceeded to take his glock [sic] out of his holster and “held it stationary for five seconds” while pointing it at Royston. Gaynor was allegedly laughing during the incident and his “finger was on the receiver and not the trigger.” His lawyer described the incident as “a case where the skylarking and tomfoolery in an employment context has gone awry.”
Royston reportedly didn’t respond well to his coworker pulling a gun on him, claiming the incident caused “overwhelming shock and fear.” He also told the court, “I have completely lost the trust I had and my admiration for the NSW Police Force. When I see a police officer now, I feel compelled to watch them and check their hand is not on their firearm.”
Gaynor’s lawyer, on the other hand, was more concerned with the damage that this conviction would likely do to his career, saying it would “definitely see him removed from the police force,” and adding, “This is going to cost him dearly.” Perhaps Gaynor should have thought about that before pulling a gun on a fellow officer. Since he didn’t, he’s just going to have to deal with the consequences of his own cavalier attitude regarding gun safety.