Maryland State Police ID Recruit Shot In Training Exercise

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland State Police have identified the recruit shot in the head by his training officer.

Sources tell WJZ one of the academy instructors mistakenly fired his real gun instead of a simulation gun at 43-year-old Raymond Gray's head during a training exercise two weeks ago at the site of the old Rosewood Psychiatric Hospital.

An angered city police commissioner immediately appointed a new police academy commander and ordered a massive internal investigation into what he called "a major procedural breakdown."

But late last week, the newly appointed academy commander, Major Joe Smith, announced he was leaving the department to accept an outside job.

Instead, Lt. Col. Ross Buzzuro will lead the academy. Until now, he had been in charge of special operations units like the SWAT teams and police helicopters. His first order of business: a complete review of all police academy procedures.

"My goal is to make sure the academy is the safest environment for our officers and really bringing it to the national forefront to making it an elite and premier academy," Buzzuro said.

But for now, it will likely be several weeks before trainees can resume training with firearms.

As for Gray, he's been moved from the hospital to rehab. We're told the bullet just grazed his brain, so he's lucky to be alive.  He is a University of Maryland Baltimore police force recruit.

State police will not comment on the status of their criminal investigation into the shooting.