Posted on 08/10/2009 10:26:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
An empty chamber in a loaded gun saved the life of a Toledo police officer.
This, after a man wanted for murder took police on a high-speed chase and an intense shoot-out.
"Officer Board came very close to losing his life last night, that's fair to say," said Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre.
Navarre says Sunday night's shoot-out at Dorr and Westwood could have been a lot worse.
Four officers walked away from the incident unharmed: Eric Board, Diana Trevino, Charles Leroux and Lieutenant Mark Collins. The suspect, 21-year-old Devon Tyrone Woods, was not so lucky.
A three mile high-speed pursuit initially triggered from a disturbance call at Southgate Circle ended when Woods' vehicle hit one car, causing it to hit another.
When Officer Eric Board approached the suspect vehicle, police say, Board's life almost ended at point blank.
"(The suspect) pointed it at the officer, pulled the trigger, the gun did not fire, and the reason it did not fire because apparently he didn't have a round in that chamber," said Navarre.
Officer Board hit the ground and the three other officers began firing.
Police say Woods fired two rounds and took off running.
The shootout ensued and Woods fired off one more round while falling to the ground.
In all, 34 rounds were fired from police -- and three are believed to come from Woods.
Woods was shot five times, he died from his wounds.
"Officers are trained to fire and continue firing until the job is complete," said Navarre.
In studying the suspect, police discovered that Woods had a dangerous secret.
"We also learned last night that he has a warrant for his arrest for the crime of murder," said Navarre.
Not only was Woods wanted for murder, but police say the 21-year-old's rap sheet was extensive.
They say he had committed several armed robberies in the Detroit area and NBC24 discovered that he had just been let out of prison in February of this year after serving two years on a felony weapons conviction out of Wayne County.
You can view Woods' criminal past for yourself by clicking here.
All four officers involved the shootout are on paid administrative leave.
Navarre says this will help them cope with the trauma and emotional stress of being involved in such a violent incident.
My summer carry has always been a DA PPK/S in .380/9mm kurz. Doesn't go bang as loudly or effectively, but it doesn't print either.
Naw. The all important lawmakers probably passed a law that they could only buy 5 rounds of ammo per month. Hence the 1 empty chamber.
Next news story. “Lawmakers save cops life”!
Major /s
All right, instead of berating me, give me one reason why someone should carry a pistol without having a round chambered. I'm not talking about someone transporting a pistol or revolver to the range for target practice. I'm talking about the pistol one would carry on their person for protection.
“AND for someone to say that everyone that carries a weapon “condition one” is dangerous,” It IS more dangerous than not having a round in the chamber. Isn’t that your point? My point is that level of readiness is not always required. “Most people carry semi-autos and if you think the “average joe” can cycle the slide that quickly under stress.” Yes it would take a couple of extra seconds that you may not have. Then again, you may have plenty of time. Depends on the situation and the person. Your generic answer is hogwash and your judgement on who should be able to carry is also hogwash.
No, but what I do find is that when someone starts slinging personal barbs they have lost the argument and cannot back up their position or statements.
My observations come from many years of weapons training and instruction both in the military and with various LEO Depts.
No one was attacking or belittling your position, if you can't debate the points, you might want to try an "easier" forum... facebook maybe.
My bad, Apologies to you... too many threads, so much dyslexia ;-)
My summer carry has always been a DA PPK/S in .380/9mm kurz. Doesn't go bang as loudly or effectively, but it doesn't print either.
That's why I never owned a 1911. All my training geared me towards having a pistol that was completely ready to shoot as soon as it was drawn. I carry a Glock 23 most of the time and a Ruger LCP when it's too hot to conceal anything bigger. For open carry I have my Springfield Armory XD-45.
“No, but what I do find is that when someone starts slinging personal barbs they have lost the argument and cannot back up their position or statements.”
Yes I agree, thats why I was so disappointed when you started throwing personal attacks.
“No one was attacking or belittling your position”
You might reread your posts. You were certainly doing that. In at least one case behind my back.
“All right, instead of berating me, give me one reason why someone should carry a pistol without having a round chambered. I’m not talking about someone transporting a pistol or revolver to the range for target practice. I’m talking about the pistol one would carry on their person for protection.”
Because most people do not put themselves in risky positions as a normal part of their day. The most important part of self defense has nothing to do with a gun. Be aware of your surroundings and you can avoid many bad events. Sure it means taking a small amount of time before you can engage an attacker but thats a tradeoff with the reduced risk of not having a round chambered round.
Sure there are times when you want to have a round chambered but that level of readiness is not always necessary. Its a personal decision and ridiculing someone or berating someone for it is low.
“My observations come from many years of weapons training and instruction both in the military and with various LEO Depts.”
BTW I also received military training. Even the military doesn’t always chamber a round.
And LEO training isn’t all that hot. I can out shoot 75% of the cops in my town. I probably put more practice time in than 90%.
I agree situational awareness is extremely important and I am always looking out for trouble. As a LE professional I deal with criminals on a daily basis and some of them have threatened me. But SA isn't a cure-all. As for the reduced risk of not having a round chambered, I don't know what you're talking about. As long as your pistol is in its holster, there is no chance of a round being discharged. If you pull your pistol from its holster, it means you're in trouble and it needs to be ready immediately. You don't need to be in a risky area to at risk.
I don't know what military you were associated with, but with the M-9 the standard carry was round chambered and weapon decocked with the safety off. That was even during training exercises.
“I don’t know what military you were associated with,”
Air Force, M60 and M16
Now I see what the problem is... my old man retired AF with 34 yrs and he was a DH too. ;-)
Maybe I wasn't clear, in the military I was a Small Arms Instructor, Aerial Gunnery Instructor and later trained and certified as a Firearms Instructor by the state LE Academy, so I've been teaching this stuff quite awhile... but you've probably done that too... geez.
If one assumes that Navarre is speaking correctly, we have it from him that it was a revolver.
I am glad the guy messed up where his ‘empty chamber’ was but it shows how you can screw up when you don’t load all your chambers.
criminal usually don’t have great gun handling skills from what I’ve heard.
are you stalking me now?
So you know first hand how bad most LEOs are at handling their firearm and how seldom most actually go to the range.
But no I wasn’t an instructor, I was in the field. Was also underground a lot but would have to kill ya if I told you about that.
I couldn't believe the find! Actually, I wan't mining. I remembered seeing your name before and I was trying to refresh my memory on who you were. :)
are you stalking me now?
Not really. I always fully load my revolvers.
“Not really. I always fully load my revolvers.”
The only revolver I have is an old .22 with a 9” barrel that I got from my uncle.
Ruger recalled all their older revolvers and installed safety bars. The Blackhawk I bought in 1973 had a safety bar so it must have been in the early 70's that manufacturers added this feature..
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