3 Aug 03

From an LEO friend in the Midwest:

"We had a fatal shooting here on 22 July. The (dead) suspect was probably trying to commit suicide. In any event, he was a construction worker who was hanging around one of our local banks late in the afternoon.

Using a pistol, he kidnaped a bank officer and held him at gunpoint, but then let him go and walked away after only a few minutes when the bank officer explained that he was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital (The story was true! The bank officer's wife delivered a healthy baby boy later that evening)

Four of our officers soon located the suspect as he walked away from the bank building. As they commanded him to stop, he turned to face them with the pistol in his hand, and all four officers simultaneously fired their pistols at him. Range was twenty-five feet. A total of nineteen shots were fired at the suspect by our four officers. Of nineteen, only four hit, and all four were fired by the same officer. All fifteen shots fired by the other three officers missed. Suspect was struck in the torso. He took a few steps backward and collapsed. He went DRT within a minute.

The officer who did all the hitting is one of our range officers and an extremely competent shooter. Not known for his speed, he is known for his deadly precision. He was shooting a G21. I don't know the brand of ammunition. All other officers were shooting G19s.

Subsequent investigation revealed that one of the participating officers (who missed) had not been to our shooting range in over a year. We're all now trying to figure out how that could have happened!

All officers have been cleared by the DA, and no one (aside from the suspect) was hurt, although several of our errant bullets did cause minor property damage. Most were not found. The suspect never fired a shot."

Comment: Of four ostensibly trained police officers, only one was competent enough to decisively end the fight. He carried the fight for the other three and may have saved their lives. To be sure, all were courageous for answering the call and for being there, but courage does not substitute for competence. Personal competence cannot be acquired without personal effort and personal commitment. The department can provide the trappings, but the individual must provide the requiem personal devotion and determination. On this group of four, only one did.

/John

3 Aug 03

Fox OC works! This from a friend with the Capetown Traffic Police:

"Saturday, I was manning a roadblock during a big soccer game at our local stadium. The post was set up at one of the main pedestrian exit points. I wa s standing there in uniform after the game while hundreds of exiting fans stre amed by. I had a can of the Fox OC in my weak hand and my Streamlight tactical torch (flashlight) in the other

I locked on to a large male approaching me. He was obviously drunk, and he was holding a glass bottle in one hand. As he approached, he rushed toward me, raising the bottle, and shouting, 'Ek gaan jou moer,' (loosely trans lated, ' I'm going to make a mess of your face).

I immediately turned on my Streamlight and directed the beam into his face, as I moved sideways, off the line of force. He instantly became disoriented and had no clue as to where I had gone. Next, he got a face full Fox!

One step backwards, and down he went, dropping his bottle, and 'flop ping like a fish,' as you might say. He was no threat to anyone from that instant forward. The group he was with scooped him up, and off they all ran. None of the others seemed interested in sampling their friend's plight! It all transpired so fast that my partner wasn't even aware of what had happened. A few passers by started coughing, but most had no idea of the drama that just too k place in front of them.

Although Fox OC has about the same 'percentage' that the crap they i ssue to us, its knockdown power and overall effect are vastly superior, which is why , I'm sure, they don't issue it to us. However, I'll never be without it!"

Comment: A powerful flashlight and a bottle of Fox OC makes a formidable, non-lethal combination. The alliance surely worked in this case!

/John