Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkingwolf
I keep coming back to the M. Brown case in these type discussions. Most gunshots in shootouts are woefully inaccurate. DW shot 11 times, only 6 hit, only two stopped the threat. Those two shots were fatal.
Lung shots, not likely to stop, or be fatal. Sometimes gut shots are fatal if the infection cannot be stopped. Shots to a major artery, or the heart is destroyed is likely to be fatal, as well as cranial shots. A shot to the brain stem will most likely put the lights out. We call it pithing when putting down an animal, though usually done with a knife.
Many wounds can be fatal, even a blown off pinkie, even pepper spray can be fatal. An attacker can still kill, and be dead(no beating heart). The attacker has several seconds before incapacitated, and that is a longggggg time.
As stated, the best self defense is situational awareness, and common sense. Every gunfight that never happens is a success story.
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My understanding of the case as a retired cop reading the news...
Brown commited a strong arm robbery. He had not been identified as the perpetrator of that robbery, but he did not know that.
Officer Wilson worked for a department that wrote ticky-tacky tickets as a source of income. Wilson stopped Brown for jaywalking (ticky-tacky), but Brown didn't know why he was being stopped, he had just committed a felony robbery and assault. Brown tried to get Wilson's sidearm. Brown punched Wilson. Wilson secured his sidearm, firing one round inside of the squadcar in the process. Brown ran, Wilson fired at him, mostly missing (10/17) but striking him 5 times in the left arm/shoulder. Wilson was dazed, having been punched multiple times by someone he planed on writing a $35.00 municipal summons to. Wilson pursued Brown (were I an official and Wilson said he was pursuing a dangerous suspect who had just inexplicably assaulted a police officer, I would have agreed with his actions, but instead he said he was scared, thought Brown had superhuman strength and was going to kill him, thats ok for a civvie BUT IMHO DARREN WILSON SHOULD NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCMSTANCES WORK AS A POLICE OFFICER).
Completly consistant with my earlier statement the two rounds that stopped Brown were mortal. Two head shots, the fact that they were shots #16 and #17 are both typical, and problematic.
Grumpy old man opinion.... Standards have taken a trip to Hades since the adoption of the 9/40. When I was turned out to walk Flatbush Avenue I had 23 rounds and qualified at 25 yards. Not to rag on Officer Wilson (he was whatever else you think, the victim of a felony assault) but what he did mostly was miss his target and put rounds out there that could have hit innocents.
Some here say, most people are lousy shots, ok, I will accept that at face value. (The guys I came up with were NOT, not one individual who sought to escape lawful arrest by firing on me survived that really poor choice.)
But what I said was a shot, aimed at a part of the anatomy that is capable of making the perpetrator of a criminal act INVOLUNTARILY stop, is likely to be fatal. If the situation you are in has deteriorated to the point that you are firing, you should have that front sight over some part of the perpetrator he cannot live without. And if your aim is true your bullet will terminate his life.
We shoot to stop the threat, true. But if we hit our targets the target dies, to say we don't shoot to kill is to engage in self-deception
The act of killing a human being, even one who has committed the most heinois fellonies is not a thing you ever forget.