PIQUA — Three Piqua police officers were injured when a firearm accidentally discharged inside the police station on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Chief Marty Grove of the Piqua Police Department said that officers had just returned from the range where they were qualifying with their sidearms.

One of the handguns had an accidental discharge during the cleaning process.

The weapon was pointed in a safe direction at the time, said Grove. He explained that although the muzzle was pointed straight down and the bullet disintegrated on impact with the cement floor, fragments, most likely from the bullet jacket — a thin piece of metal, usually copper, which surrounds the actual lead bullet — struck three officers who were in the room.

All three officers, whose names have not been released, walked to a Piqua Fire Department medic unit, where they were transported to Upper Valley Medical Center to be checked out.

The officers were all treated for minor injures to their lower legs and released.

The name of the officer who fired the weapon is also being withheld as an investigation takes place.