Deputies fired 28 shots at suicidal man; hit only once

Knoxville News ^ | September 18, 2003 | J.J. STAMBAUGH

[Ches]

Just a little after dark plinking.

[CAPPSMADNESS]

no kidding - The guy even had a TARGET on his chest! I could see if he was dancing the mambo or something.....

I hope that if i ever have to rely on a police officer to protect me or a loved one with his/her gun - their aim is better than Knox County's!

[Fred Mertz]

I'm really, really wanting to think that they knew it was a pellet gun and they were dealing with an EDP (emotionally disturbed person).

That's what I want to believe.

[Fred Mertz]

I'm really, really wanting to think that they knew it was a pellet gun and they were dealing with an EDP (emotionally disturbed person).

That's what I want to believe.

[WSGilcrest]

Maybe they were just making him dance.

[Dan Evans]

Makes perfect sense to me. Cops are the kind of people who don't like civilians to tell them what to do.

[UncleJeff]

You want to, but don't ;)

If they knew it wasn't a firearm they shouldn't have fired at all. Besides, with that many rounds going into "the woods" they risked hitting somebody not involved.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Ambivalence time. I mean, I'm glad they missed him, but I'm not really happy about it. I'll only say this - a human-sized target is harder to hit at 25-30 yards with a pistol than you might think."

You give untrained cops the latest gee whiz 17 shot spray and pray toys to play with, and guess what? They go into a Chinese air raid warden panic mode and spray away, from the target. These guys must be on the most under trained police force in the nation.

For anyone reasonably proficient with a 1911 .45 there is no aiming involved, you point, you rapid tap, and you hit, end of story. With my 60 year old 1911A1 at 25 yards I can still pie plate seven from a cocked and locked draw and bang away two second scenario, and I am a few years older than aforementioned 1911A1.

[drhogan]

i wonder if they have checked the woods yet for dead hikers and campers.

[Khurkris]

Many years ago, late 70's early/middle 80's, I was an ASLET cetified trainer. Many, many LEO's I came in contact with regarded their service weapon as just another tool in their job. This is understandable and we trained them that way. The training was not done to create super-shooters. Just to give them a set of excercises to make the use of their weapon a natural action. Some LEO's, who had grown up with guns had more interest, these were usually the people who became the department Training Officers.

Sadly, today, most LEO's do not have much of a background in weapons. This lack of experience and ability is reflected in incidences such as this. And frankly, it is deplorable.

[UncleJeff]

Or deer, the season isn't open yet...

[ChemistCat]

Okay, but if they didn't feel threatened, why were they shooting at him at all? This violates everything I know about training to use lethal weapons.

No, they were trying to kill him. Pretty amazing.

[Mulder]

Sadly, today, most LEO's do not have much of a background in weapons. This lack of experience and ability is reflected in incidences such as this. And frankly, it is deplorable.

Every range officer I've ever talked to could recite horror stories about just how badly some cops shoot.

Then again, some take it very seriously and are excellent shots.

[pepsionice]

I would certainly be the last guy to poke fun at cops, but...these are small-town (yes, Knoxville is really a small town) cops, and they probably get firing range time twice a year (probably 50 rounds per visit). This is like handing BuBBa some ammo and giving him an afternoon off to socialize with his buddies while shooting. For these guys involved, they will likely be referred to as 'Barnies' and all will eventually leave the force there in Knoxville. If you go out to Las Vegas or LA...the cops get regular range time, and there is some stress built into the practice so its realistic. Knoxville can't afford something like that...so life goes on.

The moral of the story...is if you really need to depend on your protection...buy your own gun and regularly practice with it. Don't depend on the cops to save you.

[ambrose]

[LibWhacker]

Sheriffs and police chiefs need to institute a new policy: If you can't shoot, you can't carry.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I notice that the reporter dutifully reported the police PR about where every round safely went.

(Does anyone believe that they located any of these rounds, or that this was merely a claim, for PR damage control?)

[TADSLOS]

"Nice shootin' boys! Now, let's knock off the rest of these donuts back at the range. Looks like we need a little practice."

[Vigilantcitizen]

To be fair, a 25 or 30 yard pistol shot, in the dark and with adrenaline flowing, is not easy. At night, it's difficult to see where your shots are hitting, thereby making it difficult to accurately adjust.

But, I can easily hit a 2 foot circle at 100 feet within 2 shots, snapshooting from behing a bunker, with my paintball gun, which shoots projectiles with ballistics similar to water balloons.

[Cuttnhorse]

wonder if they have checked the woods yet for dead hikers and campers.

LOL!