Gun-Slingin' FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Third-Degree Assault

Chase Bishop was sentenced to 24 months of supervised probation, which he is allowed to complete out of state.

December 21, 2018

Chase Bishop's booking photo. Denver Police Department

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It was news that made headlines around the country: This summer, visiting FBI agent Chase Bishop did a back-flip at Mile High Spirits Distillery in Denver and accidentally shot a man in the leg when his gun slipped out of his pants.

Today, December 21, the Denver District Attorney's Office announced that Bishop has avoided jail time as a result of the incident, pleading guilty to third-degree assault. Bishop, age thirty, was sentenced to 24 months of supervised probation, which he is allowed to complete out of state.

“We believe that this agreement strikes an appropriate balance of seeking justice for the victim and ensuring that this type of incident does not happen again,” says Denver District Attorney Beth McCann in a statement announcing the deal.

Bishop's embarrassing mistake went viral, with comics taking aim at the disgraced FBI agent on late-night TV. Bishop was jailed a full ten days after shooting Thomas Reddington in the leg, a delay that Denver Police Department spokesman Sonny Jackson explained like so back in June: "I think there was some additional investigating that needed to be done."

It's hard to imagine Bishop will have a long career in the FBI, but certainly the agency has employed worse.

Ana Campbell has been Westword's managing editor since 2016. She has worked at magazines and newspapers around the country, picking up a few awards along the way for her writing and editing. She grew up in south Texas.

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