Two bullets struck Duluth police officer; At least 1 was 'friendly fire'

Officer Jill Manders was struck by two bullets during Thursday's neighborhood shootout between police and a resident, Duluth police Chief Randy Belcher said Tuesday.

At least one of those shots was a 5.7x28mm bullet from a pistol carried by Duluth police supervisors, Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said.

"That's hard on everybody," Belcher said. "There's no way to actually tell yet. . . . Until the ballistic tests are done, it's kind of a guessing game."

Duluth police supervisors carry Five-seveN pistols, which use bullets that can penetrate Kevlar helmets and bullet-resistant vests, according to the gun manufacturer's Web site.

Suspect Roman Khaimov, 38, who had fired several rounds at police with a .357-caliber revolver, died in his Benthollow Lane garage after being shot several times by police, Porter said.

Manders was struck by "friendly fire" from her position outside of the suspect's house, Porter said. He said she was next to a fence in an adjoining yard.

A bullet tore through her right calf, while a second shot grazed her left thigh, the chief said. She was treated at an area hospital and is recovering at home.

Manders, an eight-year police veteran, hasn't been given the OK by doctors to return to work, but she may be able to return in a week or two, Belcher said.

The incident began at W.P. Jones Park, adjacent to a Duluth police station, when Khaimov pulled his car next to a car driven by his estranged wife, Inna Savinova, and fired into her window, police said. Khaimov then drove away.

Savinova feared she might have been shot after seeing blood on her arms and face. She rushed to flag down a Duluth officer.

The chief helped assess Savinova's injuries, realizing she had been injured by glass from the shattered car window. Meanwhile, officers rushed to Khaimov's neighborhood, the Grove Park subdivision, off Pleasant Hill Road.

From inside his home, Khaimov traded heavy gunfire with police for at least half an hour while neighbors took cover inside their homes.

A team of officers had knocked on back doors of area homes to see if residents wanted to evacuate during the standoff.

It was the first incident in at least 26 years in which a Duluth officer has discharged a weapon in the line of duty, Belcher said.

"It's just an unfortunate situation that took place," the chief said. "The officers who responded took what actions they thought were necessary at the time. My heart goes out to the officers that were involved and to the family" of Khaimov.

Gwinnett County police detectives are investigating the incident and will forward a report of their findings to Porter for review. Porter refused to discuss other details, including how many shots were fired and how many times Khaimov was struck.

Important information about availability of ALL 5.7 x 28mm weapon systems and ammunition

BATF regulations: All components of this system are tightly regulated by BATF. The P90 (NFA, Class III weapon) can only be sold and registered to a law enforcement agency. The Five-seveN pistol is slightly different. The first sale, which requires the pistol to be legally imported into the US, requires the same procedure as the P90. A BATF Form 6 is needed which the chief or the second in command must sign. The pistol can then be removed from the Custom Bonded Warehouse and shipped to the agency. The ammunition is controlled in much the same manner, an approved BATF Form 6 is required then the ammunition can be shipped direct to the agency.

The 5.7x28mm weapon system is comprised of three components: the 5.7x28mm ammunition, the P90 Submachine gun, and the Five-seveN handguns.

The 5.7x28mm SS190 ammunition has been designed to bridge the gap between the 9mm ammunition and the 5.56 x 45mm. The 9mm FMJ round will not penetrate modern body armor and the 5.56mm, being a front line type combat ammunition, is far too potent to address close combat situation or urban warfare.

The SS190 due to its unique design with two inserts, the tip of the ogive has a steel penetrator followed by an aluminum core heavier than the forward tip, will cause the bullet to tumble in soft body tissue after 2 inches of penetration. The SS190 virtually eliminates the risk of over penetration This terminal ballistic behavior will cause large wound cavity and quick incapacitation. The SS190 will perforate 48 layers of Kevlar up to 200 meters when fired from the P90 and achieve the same result up to 50 meters with the FsN handgun. The 5.7 ammunition has only 60% of the recoil impulse of a 9mm. There are four types of ammunition: the duty SS190 (0.41c/round), the tracer L191 (0.69c), the subsonic Sb193 (0.44c) and the training round T194 (0.29c). The ammunition is available from a CBW stateside (Belgium production) or made by Winchester Olin and stored here at FN Manufacturing. The muzzle velocity of the SS190 is 2,346fps when fired from the P90 and 2,133fps with the FsN.

The weapons system components are the P90 Submachine Gun, the Five-seveN Double Action and the FsN Tactical.

P90: Light (6.6lbs w/ 50 rounds of ammunition), compact, easy to fire, both semi and full automatic, reliable and effective. Available in a standard model $1,250.00(suggested LE Price) or with integrated laser $1850.00(suggested LE Price). A complete line of accessories is available such as silencer, sling, rails etc. The weapon can be configured in many variations.

Five-seveN Pistol: Light (1.64lbs w/ 20 rounds of ammunition), simple, reliable and highly effective. Available in a Double Action models (about 12.00lbs trigger pull) or Single Action Tactical (about 5.00lbs trigger pull). The FsN DAO sells for $585.00(suggested LE Price) while the Tactical sells for $650.00(suggested LE Price). Available with night sight and modular tactical light and laser, at additional cost. Various manufacturers offer holster such as DeSantis, Gould&Goodrich, London Bridge Trading Co., Blackhawk Eagle etc. this for both tactical and duty in leather or webbing.

A list of the departments using the 5.7 WS is available upon request.

Your department can request T&E weapon(s) with ammunition or ask us to provide an on site presentation and demonstration of our weapons.

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