LA:Attacker takes Gun, Shoots, Misses, uses Car against elderly victims

Gun Watch ^ | 6 November, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Suspected Attacker

 Sometimes a victim manages to take a gun from an attacker.   Less often, an attacker takes a gun from the victim.   In this case, the attacker took the gun, tried to shoot the victim, but missed.  It started when the aggressor attacked a neighbor.   From thenewsstar.com:

According to the police report, Smith began banging the victim’s head on the concrete saying repeatedly, “I’m going to kill you.” The victim reported losing consciousness as Smith gained his keys.

The second victim grabbed his pistol, and drove across the street to aid his neighbor.  The area is fairly rural, so the houses are not close. 

Victim two said when he feared Smith was killing the first victim, he pointed the gun at Smith and demanded he get on the ground.

Smith reportedly attacked victim two, knocking him to the ground kicking and hitting him. Smith eventually took the gun away from victim two. According to the police report, Smith pointed the gun at victim two’s head and pulled the trigger, but the bullet missed him. He repeatedly told victim two that he was going to kill him.

Another source reports that the attacker tried to shoot again, but the gun would not fire.  The attacker then takes victim two's car, drives over victim two, then backs over him again, and then goes after victim two's wife, who is monitoring events from across the street.    The wife dodges into the carport before the car strikes her but is still run over.   The attacker then runs off into the woods.  

View of scene from above

This appears to be a case of misapplication of Tuco's rule:  When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!   When the brain is engaged in talking, there is a transition period to make the decision to shoot.   In this case, it was disastrous.  It can be overcome with practice.   It is also helpful to have armed backup.  

Another lesson is that even if an attacker gets your gun, it is not the end of the fight.  He may not know how to use it.   He may miss.     The literature has many examples where aggressors were incompetent with grabbed guns.

The suspect was captured shortly after, but a lot of damage had been done.  Victim number two had to be airlifted to another hospital and remains there as of the last report that I found.


 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

Practice for self defense should include transition from giving commands to shooting. It is hard to maintain distance when you need to be able to shoot the right person in a situation similar to Travon Martin.

[bgill]

he pointed the gun at Smith and demanded he get on the ground

That's where he went wrong.

[556x45]

There are those here, at FR, who will tell you training isn’t necessary. All thats important is to be armed.

[Robert DeLong]

My only command would have been the sound of the gun being discharged, if it were me in that situation.

[School of Rational Thought]

....he pointed the gun at Smith and demanded he get on the ground

Obviously, if victim one's head was being pounded on the payment, he was not in any danger per Trayvon Martin. (sarc)

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The moral of this story is, don’t stand there pointing a gun at someone if you aren’t prepared to shoot, they will take it from you and use it on you!