Subject:  Shooting |
Author:
JAK
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Date Posted: 11:29:40 06/05/02 Wed
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Read this tru-life account of a small town shooting from Master Pistoleer John Farnam.
Thanx JM for cluing us in and sharing. Much to be learned from this !
16 May 02
Vicki and I are currently conducting several courses in a small town in the Midwest. We've been here for a week. Last year we
trained (handgun) nearly all the road deputies from the local sheriff's department, including the sheriff himself. This year, we are in
the process of training officers from surrounding counties and a number of local, town officers.
Saturday, we were shooting at the local outdoor range when we heard about a real "shooting incident" which had just occurred in
the small town from where we had just come. Someone jokingly commented about "Trouble, right here in River City," from the
Robert Preston line in The Music Man. We all assumed it was an accident or a suicide. In reality, it was an armed robbery, which
concluded in the shooting death of the robbery suspect, the first fatal armed robbery in the history of this little town. The following
I pieced together from conversations with witnesses and participants.
The robbery suspect entered the local drug store (where I've personally shopped many times) Saturday morning. A customer said,
"A little chilly, isn't it?" The suspect placidly replied, "It's going to get warmer." He then drew a pistol from concealment and
placed its muzzle in contact with the head of the petrified female cashier. Looking up at the druggist he said, "Lock all the doors."
The (unarmed) druggist, thinking fast, replied that the keys were in his office and that he would have to get them. When the
druggist then entered his office, he could still be seen by the suspect through a glass partition, but he cleverly picked up the handset
on his telephone and dropped it into the wastebasket next to his desk. He then hit his 911 speed dialer and calmly walked back out.
The suspect was none the wiser.
The suspect, who had been relatively cool headed, then became unstable, shouting threats and making confusing demands. It was
unclear to the druggist if he wanted, drugs, cash, or both. Seeing the situation deteriorating, the druggist decided to make his move.
He grabbed the suspect's pistol (a Makarov or a Tokerov, cheap junk) and wrenched it out of his hand. The suspect recoiled with
surprise but recovered quickly and, drawing a SECOND PISTOL, he immediately shot at the druggist. The druggist, using the
pistol he had just taken from the suspect, fired back. Six rounds were fired. The two moved apart but were separated by no more
than fifteen feet. No one was hit!
The suspect broke contact and ran to his truck which he had parked nearby. A local citizen who had witnessed some of the events
called 911 and gave the sheriff's department an accurate description of the truck, including the tag number. Beat cars from the
sheriff's department and state patrol were already converging on the site.
The suspect and his truck were quickly located in a rural area a short distance from town and immediately boxed in via a double
roadblock. Extremely competent road pursuit and roadblock work by the deputies prevented the suspect from leaving the area and
getting onto a freeway.
When confronted by deputies, the suspect stopped and exited his truck, still holding his pistol in both hands. He then started
walking back toward one of the beat cars. The deputies commanded him to drop the pistol several times. At a range of thirty
meters, the deputies started firing. The suspect was struck in the torso by several Federal 230gr Hydrashoks (45ACP) as well as
at least one 12ga slug. He went down fast and was DRT.
The decedent had been a suspect in several other recent drugstore robberies in the area. Each one had been progressively more
violent. This one was (happily) his last.
The two deputes who did the fatal shooting were both our students from last year. Shooting competence on their part was
extremely high. They struck the moving suspect repeatedly at a range of thirty meters. If the suspect was trying to get close to our
deputies, he grossly underestimated their shooting ability.
Lessons:
EVEN "RIVER CITY" IS NOT IMMUNE FROM CRIMINAL VIOLENCE. Thinking you're "safe" because you happen to be
in a particular place is an exercise in self deception. THE GUN YOU GET TO USE TO DEFEND YOUR LIFE MAY NOT BE
YOUR OWN! Miyamoto Musashi taught us many centuries ago, "Warriors should not have ‘favorite' weapons." He obviously
knew what he was talking about!
VICTORS THINK ABOUT THE UNTHINKABLE, IN ADVANCE. THEY HAVE A PLAN. Our small-town druggist is a
hero. He had thought about what we would do in an armed robbery, and, when it happened, he executed his plan on the nail,
calling the police without the suspect ever suspecting it. I'm not sure he ever thought about disarming a violent criminal (he has
never attended one of our classes), but it is obvious that he knew what he had to do. He dared, and he won.
DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE TIED UP, LOCKED IN, OR TAKEN TO A REMOTE LOCATION. You'll surely be
murdered. Make your move while you still have options. Even when the situation is desperate, it will be even worse when your
options evaporate.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR COMPETENCE AND THE PERSONAL CONFIDENCE IT ENGENDERS. Neither the
suspect nor the druggist were competent with a pistol, and the results were predictable. Our deputies were extremely competent,
and they did what had to be done, never doubting their ability and their will to do it.
/John
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