DC police in shooting of young woman

Quote: Wizard

a direct head shot is the most reliable way to eliminate the danger of a suspect with a deadly weapon.

But in other circumstances where the target is the full body, you should aim for center body mass. I can imagine the police are told to do this as well.

Will Face weigh in?

Some articles about how self-defense is taught; parallel thinking goes for the police as well no doubt.

http://www.corneredcat.com/article/legal-concerns/myths-about-selfdefense/

http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=34041

Quote: odiousgambit

But in other circumstances where the target is the full body, you should aim for center body mass. I can imagine the police are told to do this as well.

If that target is far away, or bystanders in the background, I'm sure that would be factored into it. However, even a shot to the chest may not hit the heart, and the suspect will still be able to fire back.

Quote: Wizard

Not just that. It is my understanding that they are trained that a direct head shot is the most reliable way to eliminate the danger of a suspect with a deadly weapon.

Kind of interesting that they say that. I would have guessed pumping a few to the heart would be better as it is a bigger area to aim for. But as I mentioned on the board before, at a robbery near my parent's house an off duty cop shot the perp right between the eyes, so I guess that if you have good aim it doesn't matter as much.

Quote: AZDuffman

I would have guessed pumping a few to the heart would be better as it is a bigger area to aim for.

Your heart is only the same size as your fist. At both Front Sight and the gun shop where I did my CCW (carry a concealed weapon) training, they said to take down somebody who wants to kill you, do a single head shot first and then two to the chest.

Quote: odiousgambit

Will Face weigh in?

Try to be a paragon of gun rights and safety, and all anyone ever wants to know is the best way to kill someone... I kid, of course ;)

A few things...

Quote: Wizard

At both Front Sight and the gun shop where I did my CCW (carry a concealed weapon) training, they said to take down somebody who wants to kill you, do a single head shot first and then two to the chest.

At the risk of being too bold, I'd refer to those people as idiots. Training courses are usually conducted by former LEOs, so I'm surprised to hear this from them. The head is too small, too mobile, and a pistol too wayward for shooting in a SHTF scenario. Sure, if you're arm's length away, maybe. But once distance begins to be measured in "yards", your target is center mass, right in the chest.

On this DC scenario, I've no problem with her being shot. As FleaStiff sort of pointed out, if a gunman has fired on you, but just doesn't happen to be firing at the moment, you don't try to talk to him. You shoot him. He already showed the willingness and ability to kill, you don't give him a chance to succeed. Just because we're talking about a car (or a bomb, or a knife, or a crowbar, or... you get the point) doesn't change things.

LEOs are taught same as I'm always spouting, shoot center mass. There are a few specialized individuals for hostage scenarios, yes, and even your generic LEO is still a much better shot than most of us and could pull off more precision. They shoot all the time. But I don't think this was precision as work, or a conscious decision to shoot for the head. She was in a car, right? How much of a typical woman can you see when they're in a car? Pretty much just head and shoulders, right? I think he just shot what he saw.

I suppose it brings back the age old questions if private cars should be required to be equipped with overrides so that police can turn them off and have a more controlled situation to assess the danger.

Quote: Pacomartin

I suppose it brings back the age old questions if private cars should be required to be equipped with overrides so that police can turn them off and have a more controlled situation to assess the danger.

HELL NO.

Quote: Pacomartin

I suppose it brings back the age old questions if private cars should be required to be equipped with overrides so that police can turn them off and have a more controlled situation to assess the danger.

Would end up hacked in a matter of days. Hell no.

Quote: Pacomartin

I suppose it brings back the age old questions if private cars should be required to be equipped with overrides so that police can turn them off and have a more controlled situation to assess the danger.

It's very simple. NEVER.

It's a terrible idea, which would certainly lead to abuse, and more so when you know even the most idiotic criminal would know to hack the override control.

BTW, a car is not stopped by shooting its tires off. All cars will move just fine with blown tires. Not as fast, and without much control, but they will keep moving.

Quote: Nareed

BTW, a car is not stopped by shooting its tires off. All cars will move just fine with blown tires. Not as fast, and without much control, but they will keep moving.

That is supported by every reality police case shown I've ever seen. The assailant will just keep driving on the rim, tearing up the road as he goes.