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What Could The Cop Have Done Better In This Shooting?

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SIG p938

So I was wandering around the internet looking for something to jabber my jaws about today, and I found this gem. Now, I'm not going to talk about if the police officer was justified to pull his weapon or not, and I have no plans on getting into a race war. What do I want to do, is talk about what could have been done differently, as well as address some criticisms found on the host's YouTube channel.

First, in a situation like this, we need to remember that fight or flight takes over your body, causing it to not react the way it normally would. The police officer was heavily criticized for being so winded at the end, and not being able to keep up with the dude who, allegedly, pulled his gun out to shoot the cop. (video below)


When those natural survival instincts take over, it's hard to focus on more than one thing at a time causing extreme tunnel vision. That's just the start, however, and the heart also feels like it'll jump out of your chest, breathing automatically increases, hands tremble as blood is pulled from extremities to places where it's needed more, etc.

Plus, his survival mode may have been telling him to run, but in the opposite direction—causing an internal fight. Finally, he ran with his strong arm extended for much of that run, instead of pumping them to bring in the most oxygen. This brings me to my next point: His gun manipulation.

Now, before we move on, we have to remember that our vision is skewed in that we aren't seeing exactly what he was looking at. But, from what we can see, he is totally holding the gun improperly. To make matters worse, when he shoots the gun, the support hand is nowhere near where it's supposed to be.

It seems as though he carelessly discharged his weapon, at least from the first glance. I'll let you decide, here's the video:


Now, we could fault him for this. Technically speaking, his form is all wrong. But, I'm not going to fault him for anything like the comments in the video did, for a couple of reasons. First, this is an excellent learning experience for him, and us. Second, one thing that we all need to keep in mind, is that every situation will be different, and you might not have the time, nor the ability to form a proper shooting position.


The only way to protect yourself from a situation like this is to practice. Sharpen your shooting skills to avoid disaster. We recommend the 30 Day Sharp Shooter course for a quick and effective way to tighten up your skills and become a better, safer shooter. Click here to find out more!

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In other words, the way you practice at the range may go right out the window if you ever find yourself in a critical incident where a gun is needed to aid in your defense. Should you train hard and train often? Absolutely. Just know that the way you train may not get used if all you're doing is standing there, in your isosceles or weaver, with your proper grip, etc.

What do I mean?

I went to the range yesterday, and I shot from my usual stance, as can be seen in many of my videos. However, I also shot one handed with both my strong and weak hand on the trigger. This helps me build confidence in my shooting, because I know that if I can hit my target at 10 yards with one hand, I can do it with two.

SIG p938

SIG P938, my latest test gun, is the one I was practicing one-handed shooting with. Stay tuned for a review, coming shortly.

Plus, if I ever find myself in a situation where my right (strong) hand is incapacitated, I'll know for a fact that I can shoot lefty. This isn't something I do every time I go to the range, but I'd say I shoot one handed at a rate of once per month. It's a good skill to have, and it's not the only one I train.

One thing you should never, under any circumstances, do—is hold your handgun off to the side like that. Some speculate that this may have been a racial provocation because police just don't hold their weapons like that. I'm not sure, because I wasn't there and you can't hear the first several seconds of the video.

What I am absolutely certain of, is that holding your gun horizontally like that, is the perfect way of missing your target simply because of the angle of the weapon, alone. There are other mechanical issues, as well, but just the angle of the weapon is enough to be inaccurate.

Let's recap, shall we? It's always good to look at what others have done, to try and improve yourself. Each critical incident will play out different, so it's a good idea to train for as many scenarios as possible, so you can be as ready for each as you can. Holding your gun the proper way will ensure you're more likely to hit your target, especially in a high-stress situation.

Have you watched the video yet? If not, go back and give it a look, and then comment on what you would have done differently, and how you can prepare for it, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation. To make sure you see the SIG P938 review when it goes live, make sure you subscribe to Gun Carrier's FREE Newsletter. That little gun is a blast to shoot.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Mikial

    November 19, 2016 at 6:08 PM

    First the positive . . . sorta; don’t immediately fault the LEO too much for being winded or not being able to run the perp to the ground. I’ve chased a few bad guys as a probation officer, and it’s a lot easier to run in sweats and basketball shoes than when you’re wearing a vest and carrying X pounds of equipment. Besides, most LEOs aren’t trained how to chase someone with your service weapon in your hand. In the end, I have to give the LEO credit for not giving up. He ran the guy ragged, didn’t do too bad a job keeping track of him, and when BU arrived, they got him.

    On the other hand, he never really seemed to have control of the situation. All the yelling didn’t accomplish a thing. No idea why he fired a shot, but suspect he had his finger on the trigger and it was an ND when he started running. When the perp fell, he should have been on him like a ton of bricks, knee in the chest, palm heel to the side of the guy’s head, and then the gun against his face telling him not to move. Instead he futzed around and let the guy get up and run again.

    No longer a LEO, so if i see a bad guy now and he runs, I report it and go home to dinner.

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