Posted on 04/08/2009 9:59:09 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Hit Man Misses, Shot Dead by Target
03 April 2009
By Carl Schreck / The Moscow Times
Here's a self-defense story to warm the hearts of any NRA members who might stumble upon this blog.
A hit man sent to kill a businessman in the Moscow region missed his target Tuesday night, giving the would-be victim enough time to return fire and shoot his attacker dead, regional investigators said Wednesday.
At around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, the businessman showed up at the police precinct in the Moscow region town of Shyolkovo and told the duty officers that half an hour earlier a gunman had ambushed him outside the home he is building in the village of Potapovo, firing at him with a gun equipped with a silencer but somehow managing to miss, Interfax cited a law enforcement source as saying.
The man had just driven up to the gates of the house when the hit man ran up to the car and squeezed off two unsuccessful shots, according to Itar-Tass, Vesti Moskva reported.
But the target kept a cool head and grabbed a Saiga 12-gauge rifle he happened to have in the car (take note, potential contract-hit victims reading this!) and shot the attacker dead.
The intrepid crime journalists over at Life.ru have a few more details, like how the would-be victim, whom they identify as Alexei, managed to shoot the hit man directly in the heart. The cops and medics showed up quickly, but there was no way to save him.
"My husband was born under a lucky star," Alexei's wife, Natalya, told Life.ru "There were five bullet holes in the car, but he didn't have a scratch. . . . What saved him is that he is a professional hunter. He is a dead-eye."
In a surprising twist, Life.ru also informs us that police believe the attack may have been connected to Alexei's "professional activities."
After their performance this week with the Sulim Yamadayev shooting in Dubai, with daily sensational reports that the notorious Chechen strongman was still alive, I promised myself I would take everything they post with a grain of salt.
Their reporting looks solid on this, though. Check out the nice pics and video.
The hit man was obviously not a skilled professional. One wonders if this incident reflects a general decline in standards in the Putin/Medvedev era?
Good thing for Alexei that he just happened to have that Saiga in the car with him - and loaded no less. What luck.
You can get rifled barrels for shotguns, and fire slugs. A 1.5oz .72 caliber ball of Pb can really be a downer for the recipient. Ergo, semi-auto 12ga rifle.
Gotta wonder what he was doing that persuaded him to keep a Sagia at hand in the car.
“the would-be victim, whom they identify as Alexei, managed to shoot the hit man directly in the heart.”
Not necessarily a feat of marksmanship with a shotgun. Chances are the hole in his chest just happened to intersect where his heart used to be. Points for keeping a cool head under fire though.
The FSB/KGB wants to talk to this man now! He has won a free all expense paid trip to a winter wonderland in Eastern Russia!
Well...I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I remember them. I know what they are.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.