How did cop with handgun kill two bad guys with rifles? (Photo of site added)

Depends on who you talk to.:)

You are right rw. It was really more a comment on the state of news reporting in terms of cop bashing these days. I get weary of hearing what cops did badly in the media, when I know very well they do a lot right every single day and often great acts of kindness and compassion. Just a little frustrated with state of things these days.
 
I resent the posts inferring that the Jihadists didn't watch their backs. The local media is reporting that this traffic officer was seated next to the unarmed school district security officer when he was shot and the armed cop returned fire.

The school guard was wounded in an ankle & was released from the hospital in about two hours. Why he was on duty there, unarmed, and no additional real cops were present makes me think that the event promoter was charged too much when they had to shell out $10,000 for "added security."

Our member Massad Ayoob has several times mentioned in his magazine writing the case of a USAF bicycle cop who used his Beretta M-9 to kill a man shooting people with an AK-47, at about 80 yards. I think it took one round of military-issued 9mm hardball. This was at Fairchild AFB, WA about ten years ago. If Mas sees this, he may add details. He's talked to the man involved.

Supposedly, FMJ 9mm is useless, if you listen to the .45 fans. My son has killed men with both and saw only a slight advantage to the .45. Now out of the Army, he does carry JHP ammo in both calibers and feels better for that. But "hardball" sufficed when he had to rely on it. Placement counts!

The late David W. Arnold, formerly of the British South Africa Police in what was then Rhodesia had access to field shootings there during the terrorist war. He told me that the 9mm worked quite well, if well placed. David had to carry a P-38/P-1 on duty but preferred the Colt .45 auto, with which he was very proficient. Like proficient enough to be on the Rhodesian national IPSC team...

As time passes, we'll probably learn more about this shooting in Garland. I'm just glad that it ended sooner and better than the Paris attack did. But I think they should have had more police, all armed suitably, where these nuts struck. One man with a pistol was enough, but might not have been.

Oh: who recalls the case just a few years ago, also in Texas, where a civilian gun carrier used a .357 Magnum revolver to deal with a man using a rifle who had pinned down a cop? The range was variously reported as being from 80-150 yards.
 
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"Only hits matter". It's my favorite training mantra. Man, moment, machine alright. That is why, even the most fervent anti-gunner should consider what could have been, what would have been, had his shots not been true.
Don't mess with Texas, indeed.
God bless 'em, cause they still represent the version of America i'm truly proud of.
 
I read that the policeman was using a 45 Cal Glock and that both thugs were down before SWAT arrived. As we say down here: "Don't mess with Texas".
 
My speculation is that the cop was a Marine and/or a Veteran of a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. I also suspect that he is a crack shot with his service piece.

On the other hand, I suspect that the would-be mass murderers did not know how to use their weapons.

What matters is skill set and mindset.

Many, many members of Texas law enforcement have never been in the military and are fully capable of this level of performance.
 
The Fairchild AFB shooting was at about 72 yards; A1C (I think that was his rank) Brown rode his patrol bicycle a good distance to where he located the crazy shooter, and hit him 2 for 3 in the face/head. That was in ... summer of 1993 IIRC. Placement is critical.

As for this situation here: people I respect, familiar w/Garland PD have stated the cop did have a 45ACP Glock. (Many reporters think "revolver" means police issued sidearm" and just use the term improperly. It's that simple.) Garland has a serious training program, and they work on things that matter. This patrol officer was simply an example of it. There were a good number of GPD personnel there; that's what the cost for security was - off duty or OT cops.

The offenders were the typical doofus no load non performers with delusions of adequacy. This was not something like an even match.

Rifle v. pistol: yup, he did darned well with a pistol, but that does not change the fact that he used a pistol because he was not expecting a problem. I would be a lot of money that if he expected an issue and was actively hunting bad guys, his training would be to take a rifle.
 
What I meant by more sense is the news article originally stating a patrol officer was armed with a revolver while on duty. Nearly every force in the country (not all, I know) is using nothing but high cap mag fed semi-autos while in uniform. We went through decades being repeatedly told the LEOs were being outgunned on the streets and they have to have more firepower.

Of course the shots could be made with a revolver, even a single shot if he were bold enough and quick with the reloads.

I understand now. I misunderstood your original post about this. My apologies!
 
Concentration,front sight,trigger control.It would be interesting to know if he participates in Practical Shooting Competitions which seem to be the best training for successful shooting under stress.This is a great contrast to the case a few years ago where I believe there were 3 policemen who fired over 30 rounds to take out a felon in a doorway in NYC as I recall.
 
The guy is a bonafide HERO!!! He, no doubt, got his shooting ability somewhere. How far away was he, did the terrorists see him? In any event, the guy reacted fast and got the job done. He should be getting an award for what he did. Well, maybe he should remain anonymous or ISIS will target him.
 
Ya gotta love stories with HAPPY endings! :D

P.S. As to the Fairchild AFB shooting, it took place on June 20th 1994. The bad guy, Dean A. Mellberg, armed with a MAK-90 (Commercial Chinese AK-47 clone) shot 23 people and killed 6 (according to the USAF OSI).

The good guy was USAF Senior Airman Andrew Phillip Brown who was on bike patrol at the time of the shootings.

He confronted Mellberg at a distance of approximately 75 yards. At which time he dropped to the kneeling position and fired 4 rounds at Mellberg with is issued 9mm Beretta M-9.

One round hit Mellberg in the left shoulder, the second round hit him in the head killing him instantly.
 
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Does anyone know what kind of rifles the suspects were using? All I have read is that they were "assault rifles". The media is not known for accuracy in describing a firearm. I have seen a Winchester Model 94 called a "rapid firing assault rifle" by the news media.
 
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