"Officer, he said he was going to kill me, and he pointed that gun there at me and fired two shots, and the spent cartridge cases are over there..." should never be allowed to progress to "Well, when did you first see his gun....."
Also remember, in even the most righteous of shootings, some long lost cousin is going to sue you. You are speaking for the record, both civilly and criminally.
Also, when calling 911, always say "This is an emergency," then give the address or cross street before anything else. That way, if you get cut off, help will still come. If you are trying to describe the nature of the emergency before the location, they may know there are three perps running loose, but not where.
Yes, cell triangulation will help, but always give the location first.
his name sounds like sideboob
Self-Defense advice....
Bkmrk.
#1 Before you make the decision to carry a firearm, make damn sure you have talked to a good 2A lawyer and have his card in your wallet.
The last thing you want to have happen after a defensive shooting is that you are sitting in a local jail cell and Officer Goober is tossing you the local yellow pages.
This advice seems to involve saying a lot of things to a police officer in the heat of a very stressful moment.
I always understood that nothing, nothing, you say to a police officer will be of the slightest benefit to you and will probably make things a hell of a lot worse.
Crimes aren’t convicted on what is said or not said to the first police officer who arrives on the scene, the police officer’s first opinion of what may or may not have happened is utterly irrelevant to your being found guilty or not.
It is in the court room where the verdict will be decided, long after the event and your attempt at self-justificatory babbling to the first cop to show up will now be dissected and analysed in court by very clever prosecutors who will be delighted to put whatever slant they like on your, by now barely recollected words, to the jury.
I always understood that what you do is shut the freak up and say nothing until such time as your legal representative has arrived, and continue to say nothing afterward, let him do the talking for you.
for later read
Great Post, also as you noted the perception of time slows down when in mortal danger. It is like things are playing out in slow motion though in reality it is very quick. In your memory you see everything in detail. If not in mortal danger it is not like that and your perception of events is not as detailed and exact.
The first thing you should do is tell the cops you need to go to the hospital because of chest pains. On your way, call your lawyer. THEN tell your story.
The cops will figure it out before too long anyway.
Talking to the police without a lawyer hardly ever ends up in your favor.
Ping
This clashes with “Never talk (i.e. give a statement) to the police. Ever.”
There’s a fairly well-known youtube vid explaining why.
Much easier to say NOTHING than accidentally say the wrong thing.
Rule 1: “Be the first one to call 911”
Rule 2: “When Police arrive, have weapon on ground with your hands raised”
Rule 3: “Be respectful and cooperative”
Awful advice. Guaranteed to get you charged.
Here is the correct advice:
1. Tell the cops you are the victim and you will fully cooperate, through your lawyer.
Call your lawyer. If you don’t have one, get one. A good one.
Don’t say another f’ing word until he tells you to.