Yet another blow for top cop after teenage son Charlie was tragically killed in hit-and-run at Schoolies
South Australia 's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens confirmed he is being investigated over claims he accidentally discharged his firearm during a police operation in the 1990s.
The revelation follows days of speculation over media reports on Sunday about a probe into an unidentified 'senior police officer.'
Calling in to Adelaide radio station FIVEaa's David and Will on Wednesday morning, Commissioner Stevens said he wanted to be transparent.
'I thought I'd take the opportunity to come on and just maybe clear the air and put people out of their misery as to who the senior officer was that, 34 years ago, accidentally discharged their firearm while doing a police raid on a heroin dealer.
'The officer concerned was actually me.'
The incident occurred during a raid on a suspected drug dealer's home in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
According to Stevens, a bullet was unintentionally fired into the house during the operation and no one was injured.
'This is an incident that was managed in accordance with our procedures back at the time,' Commissioner Stevens explained.
'We were attempting to force entry into a house where a drug dealer was trying to get rid of drugs. And in the course of breaking a window to gain entry, I did discharge my firearm.'
'My supervisor was there at the time. I did the police report that was necessary, and it was reported to [the] Internal Investigations Branch on the day.'
He firmly denied reports suggesting there had been a second accidental discharge of the gun.
Commissioner Stevens and his family are still mourning the loss of their son Charlie, 18, who was killed in a hit-and-run while celebrating Schoolies at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide, in November of 2023.
Mr Steven's son Charlie suffered significant brain damage in the crash and died at Flinders Medical Centre the next day, surrounded by family and friends.
Dhirren Singh Randhawa, the 19-year-old driver of the car that struck Charlie, was given a suspended jail sentence.
Randhawa was banned from driving for 10 years.
Despite the crushing loss of their son, the Stevens family have been bravely advocating for organ donation and road safety.
Mr Stevens, who has been SA's top cop since 2015, was one of four people nominated for the state's Australian of the Year in 2024.
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