Deputies fired 28 shots at suicidal man; hit only once

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

[meyer]

Good thing the man wasn't a dog.

Its a sad day in the south when the police can only hit a target 1 out of 28 times at a range of 25-30 yards. This is particularly true when the target actually is a target.

Something tells me that they need to quit qualifying at 7 yards and start shooting at 25 or 50 yards.

[FreedomPoster]

I'd like to send somebody out there with a footcandle meter to measure light levels. If there's enough light to sight, and I suspect there was, this is really poor shooting.

[ExSoldier]

"28 shots and only ONE HIT????"

Hey that guy in New YAWK a few years ago...the one that made world news? They shot from near point blank range about 42 rounds and only hit a couple of times. COPS CANNOT SHOOT. With of course the exception of the special response teams. But street cops? Naaaaaaah.

That's why despite repeated friendly invitations, they never come out to our IDPA clubs and compete to build community relations. I think they heard how badly we drubbed the Fed team from U.S. Customs a few years ago.

I maintain the problem is much more serious and systemic:

Street police these days are products of the public schools and their "across the board antigun attitudes." Not only do they believe that guns are evil and that anybody who owns a gun is also evil...they think that even they themselves shouldn't be allowed access to guns....so they treat the gun like it's a snake and gonna bite 'em. No wonder they can't shoot!

[esopman]

"You give untrained cops the latest gee whiz 17 shot spray and pray toys..."

Your spray-and-pray turn of phrase is widely used and very apt. Like you, I find a well-tuned .45 in the hands of someone who actually practices with the thing (>1,000 rds/yr) an extraordinary antipersonnel weapon. The weapon of choice for the well-trained.

I would like to see LEO's return to .357 S&W (say, the old pinned-and-recessed N frame highway patrolman) with fewer rounds and an incentive to control. If six controlled large caliber rounds (with moon clip reloads) won't get the job done, get outa there...I have a number of these (my favorite being a Model 19 6") and at 25 yards with any setup time at all, we're talking a whole lot smaller than a pie-plate with a lot of holes in the same circle.

[Vigilantcitizen]

See #39 if you haven't already.

[Calvin Locke]

There was a drugged out guy in Burlington, VT with a knife in City Hall Park a a month or so ago.

The cops used a bean bag rifle. He was pocket knife wielding. He marked a target on his chest with the knife.

The following Monday's court appearance, paraphrasing: "I was using the knife...mark target...make it easier for the cops to shoot me."

[LibKill]

One wonders where the other 27 rounds impacted.

Back to the range men! Practice is indicated.

[TheFrog]

Re:"A story that makes the case for better gun control on the part of the cops" Lets take the guns away from those cops!