Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Refuse to Be a Victim

Robber fatally shot in Miami Burger King holdup [More]
I wasn't there and have no way of knowing how accurate this report is--but I think "arguing" with a masked gunman is pretty much a mistake.

If I feel compelled to draw down on someone, I'd kind of like to not be the focus of his attention...

[Via WJ]

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember the Washinton mall shooting, where an armed citizen ordered the shooter to de=rop his weapon? The bad guy turned and fired before the good guy could respond, and he is now in a wheelchair.

If you have no cover, shoot. Do not give the bad guy the advantage of action beating reaction.

Anonymous said...

"de=rop" is "drop". *sigh*

Kent McManigal said...

I kinda like the emphasis "de=rop" has. "De=rop your weapon or DIE, scum!" hehe

W W Woodward said...

Unless you can address the bad guy from cover do not make any statement that would draw his attention, just shoot him.

Always work with an edge on the goon. To quote W.C. Fields, "Never give a sucker an even break." And, someone else said, "If you find yourself in a fair fight, you've done something wrong."

Also, In the words of an never to be named DPD officer, to an aggravated robbery suspect in the act, back in the 70's just prior to squeezing off a 12 gauge #00 buck round, "April fools Motherf**ker!" True story.

Anonymous said...

Officers divided witnesses into several groups outside the restaurant to gather information about the incident. Employees waiting to start their shift called friends and family members on their cellphones to pass the time because they were not allowed through the police tape.

Any word on whether or not those 'groups outside the restaurant' were allowed to cross the police tape in the other direction? If not, and that were me, there would only be two questions: 1) Am I under arrest? 2) If not, then am I free to go?
I'll be a witness for the guy after speaking with an attorney, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Crotalus, I do remember that.

The Seattle Times profiled the guy, who was trying to break into stand-up comedy...despite the fact that he could no longer... stand up.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the work of the "duty to retreat" "proportionate force" legal eagle crowd.

Despite the fact the perp was a clear and imminent danger engaged in overtly menacing behaviour in a crowded room filled with women and children if the CCW had just gone up and shot him it would somehow be viewed as a ghastly misuse of force.

They teach this Northeast legal eagle crap in CCW classes. One of the same reasons the neighbor in the Merced Pitchfork murders refused to come to the aid of a family of helpless children undergoing brutal assault and Joe Horn (Texas) could have served hard
jail time.

Most lawyers have barely heard of common law doctrines of provocative acts or incitement to rage and fury and certainly do not believe in them as they should.

In Liberty,
JJH

(www.johnjacobh.wordpress.com)

triptyx said...

Remember folks - action beats reaction. Once the initial shock of your challenge wears off, that guy most likely will turn and fire, and you may very well not have the reaction to pull your own trigger in time to stop him.

If you decide you must act to save your life or the life of another, take cover, wait for your moment, and light 'em up without warning. Don't make the mistake of assuming they're really just a good person who has lost their way and will see the light when you yell at them to "drop it!"

Anonymous said...

If we lived in a free country, this would be a no brainer...

I address this very question in my CCW classes. First we do some practical drills to demonstrate reaction time and the speed at which violent encounters happen. It is impossible to simulate a real situation, of course, but the students are always impressed with how slow they react and how fast the scene develops even without the stress of mortal danger - so it is easier to accept that they would not do even as well under a real threat.

Then we talk about strategies we can use to improve our response and reduce our exposure.

I place this sort of argument with the BG in the same category as a "warning shot." If you really have time or opportunity for either one to be effective, you don't actually have any justification to shoot at all. If you NEED to shoot, then that's what you must do without hesitation.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but if some masked robber is holding up the place, either SHUT UP and do nothing, or DROP HIM without warning. Real life is not Hollywood and the good guy should NEVER give the bad guy a "fair fight" - the goal is for the fight to be over before he even knows that his "robbery" has turned into a fight.

Anonymous said...

If you wanna be a hero and yell drop the gun do it as you are pulling the trigger. I recommend pulling the trigger by the time you finish the letter "d".