Dancing FBI agent who accidentally shot man after doing backflip is spared jail

'I’ve done stupid things at bars to impress girls, too,' victim says

A dancing FBI agent who accidentally shot a man in the leg after doing a backflip at a bar in Denver, Colorado, has avoided jail time after pleading guilty to third-degree assault.

Chase Bishop, 30, struck a plea deal with prosecutors on Friday and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to The Denver Post. He also must pay more than $1,600 (£1,260) in fines and court costs.

FBI spokeswoman Kelsey Pietranton declined to say if Bishop would continue to work at the agency.

Video footage of the 2 June shooting at Mile High Spirits and Distillery was widely shared online, and the off-duty agent was charged with second-degree assault less than two weeks later.

Bishop’s gun was seen falling to the ground as he performed the backflip in a dance circle and it discharged as he picked it up. The FBI agent then coolly placed the gun back into a waistband holster and walked away with his hands up.

The man who was shot, Tom Reddington, 24, spoke emotionally in court about how he lost his job at an Amazon warehouse after the shooting, his chronic pain and his concern that he may never be able to run again.

“I have done months of physical therapy,” he said. “I have sought counselling. However, being in public, especially seeing law enforcement with guns, makes me very uncomfortable.”

In November, the FBI agent pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault, which carries a penalty of up to 16 years in prison, before agreeing to a plea deal.

“My whole goal in life is to care, protect and serve people,” he said in court on Friday. “I never expected the result of my actions to lead to something like this.”

District Attorney Beth McCann said: “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.”

Bishop, who will serve his probation in Georgia, was in Denver on FBI business and was off duty at the time of the shooting.

Mr Reddington said he did not hold a grudge against Bishop. “I’ve done stupid things at bars to impress girls, too,” he said.

The victim’s lawyer said his client had not committed to filing a lawsuit, but was exploring civil remedies.

Additional reporting by agencies