As originally posted at NASIOC/OT on 12-16-2005, 05:56 PM:
OT Gun Nuts: FBI report "One-Shot Drops. Surviving the Myth"
As reported via the Federal Bureau of Investigation 'Law Enforcement Bulletin' October 2004;
One-Shot Drops
Surviving the Myth
By ANTHONY J. PINIZZOTTO, Ph.D., HARRY A. KERN, M.Ed., and EDWARD F. DAVIS, M.S.
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On a summer evening in the northeastern part of the United States, a patrol officer received a radio dispatch at approximately 7 p.m. to respond to an address for a disorderly subject. The officer arrived at the location and parked his patrol vehicle on the opposite side of the street, several houses away. Before exiting the vehicle, the officer paused to observe the scene. He saw a male move from behind a large tree in front of the address of the alleged disorderly subject. The officer started to exit his vehicle, but then stopped when he saw the male, with a gun in each hand, begin to run toward him. The man fired both weapons at the officer, who returned two rounds from his service weapon, striking the male in the center of his chest. However, the man continued to fire. One round struck the officer in the head, killing him instantly. The male survived the two gunshot wounds and later was convicted of killing the officer.
This scenario is a collage of several cases dealing with the use of deadly force, by and against law enforcement, that the authors have examined over the last decade. Studying these cases and interacting with officers attending the FBI National Academy,1 who have experienced similar incidents in their own agencies, have led them to question if officers have died because of any of the following factors:
* The type of weapon issued to the officer.
* The type of ammunition the department issued for service rounds.
* The lack or quality of self-defensive training provided to the officer.
* Overconfidence because the officer was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and, thereby, took unnecessary chances.
* The officer’s own preparation for a violent encounter, such as wearing a bullet-resistant vest or remaining in excellent physical condition.
* The officer’s choice to notify dispatch of the location during a traffic stop or other encounter with suspects.
* ny other circumstances presently unknown to the officer’s department.
In the opening scenario, did the officer “hesitate” after firing the two rounds that struck the offender? Was he instructed to “double tap” and pause, as many departments once trained?
The authors have learned from their research on law enforcement safety that there exists a significant hesitancy on the part of many officers to use deadly force. However, they have not determined the reason for either the hesitation or why officers stop shooting before they neutralize the threat. One question they can answer is that handguns used for protection by law enforcement are capable of immediately eliminating a deadly threat quickly. However, the fact largely remains that bullet placement, rather than caliber, causes immediate stop-page of body functions in most instances. 2
With all of this in mind, then, if officers are adequately armed, what causes them to fall victim to criminals wielding less powerful weapons? An examination of the myth of the “one-shot drop,” data relative to the type of weapons offenders have used to attack officers, and effective survival and firearms training may help law enforcement agencies begin to reverse this tragic trend...
The complete report can be found at;
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2004/oct2004/oct04leb.htm#page_15
Edit: As result of Grants follow on query OTters do not read this and think of or as a cop. Think of what you are which is a concealed carry citizen. Obviously LEOs are not going to dump unnecessary rounds into an assailant and will give a bad guy every chance possible, thats their job and legal requirement.
As relative to us concealed carry citizens though the lessons as detailed in this report underline what most consultnats and instructors advocate to us which is to shoot to stop but that means stopped...not I shot him once or twice he shouldn't be still coming at me. See the one about the two cops who shot a runner 13 times and yet he still got away and further lived to complain about it.
As my VA LTC instructor who was in fact a former FBI agent stated; "Carry the largest caliber you can shoot reliably and accurately".
- Janq carries a .45
) and practiced a new shooting stance/concept (more on that in another thread) and applied it to distance shooting at 50' whihc is the backstop at the S&W range as well as up close OMG!!1! type shots of 15'. I was using today a nothing special SA commander length 1911 using shitty ammo and can hit the center of an 8" target both a Shoot-N-See style as well as pie plate with ease, when able to relax and pace my shot. I was putting two mags totalling 12+1 all in tight groups at that range.
