Bodycam, surveillance, and bystander recordings of real-life shooting incidents, while horrifying to observe, offer valuable personal defense lessons. Here, we examine several such incidents and the takeaways that my save your life
by Bob Campbell
[Editor’s Note: Many of us have viewed shooting incidents on YouTube, the news, and other media platforms. From a personal defense practitioner’s perspective, these videos reveal many lessons that we can apply to our daily protection mindset and execution. We see how a seemingly innocent situation can turn deadly in, literally, a second. We see the importance of training, the need for careful consideration of the equipment we carry, and the importance of situational awareness and rapid response.
We pitched Shoot ON contributor Bob Campbell, a veteran police officer, firearms trainer, and gun writer, to develop an article that looks at real-world shooting incidents and then draws on those incidents to offer lessons we can think about and apply in our own personal defense repertoire.
Personal defense is a serious business, and it is an ugly business for anyone who must deal in it. That is life, and it is not pleasant to observe. The videos selected for this discussion show this ugliness, but they are valuable in underscoring the brutal reality of what any one of us could face in a way that range training or theoretical discussions cannot. Thus, a warning. The following videos present graphic, deadly violence and foul language from recordings sourced largely from law enforcement body, dash, and surveillance cameras. All links below the image captures are outside the Shoot ON domain. Viewer discretion is advised.]
I often suggest that folks turn some portion of their media consumption to education rather than entertainment. This is especially true in personal defense, and you must understand the difference. Consider the source of your information. Many folks should not be writing about personal defense, and the ridiculous comments they make shows an estrangement from reality.
A review of a fold-away .22 caliber “card gun” as an example strives to find a possible use for this ridiculous little death trap. Some advocate unaimed fire and instinctive shooting. Others comment off-hand that the .32, .380, or .22 is enough for personal defense, or that all gunfights take place at a few feet, or that the adversary is likely to be a quivering hapless doper. Qualify the source, and no matter what, don’t take your thoughts on personal defense from the cinema! Choosing the firearm isn’t nearly as important as training, but choose a suitable pistol. There are good quality pistols from Colt, FN, Glock, HK, Springfield, Smith & Wesson, and Walther that are far more reliable than anything of the previous generation. The 9mm is a good caliber, not a poleaxe, yet it is effective and should be at the top of your list. Nevertheless, training trumps all. As for the following report, this assignment is one of the more interesting and time consuming I have undertaken.
The primary focus is tactics.
Once you take responsibility for your own safety and defense and have acquired a good quality pistol, holster, and ammunition, you need to further your education and training. The question of how shootings occur isn’t easily answered and is beyond the kin of an instructor without practical and institutional experience.
Since you are a non-violent law-abiding citizen, you likely have not seen such things as they play out. That is in your favor and you hope to keep it that way! To add to the experience of safety and training, we need to study shooting incidents. At what distance do they most often occur? What precipitates such actions? Many of us are directed learners and learn by watching. I added to my education by watching a number of shooting videos. The news, You Tube, and other outlets have plenty — especially with the proliferation of police body cams. The police (and I proudly served) are human, like all of us, and make mistakes. Some make the wrong moves, a few do the right thing and still get hurt. I compared the videos and the fruits of my own decades-long research and personal experience. Few things seem to be changing save those who are mentally ill today are more profoundly mentally ill than ever. I have collected a number of posts to comment on and then in the end I will sum up a number of takeaways. It is easy enough to cherry pick your choice to prove a point, but this range of videos illustrates several good points.
The incident. The subways of New York City have been the scene of many shootings, including undercover police officers on subway detail shooting each other despite “colors of the day” and other precautions. In this video, a person jumps the turnstile rather than paying. That is practically a game in many cities, but this fellow displayed an open knife as he did so. Officers asked him to drop the knife after he entered a subway car. He refused to comply. After some threatening actions, officers attempted to taser him. The taser had no effect, as often occurs for many reasons. He refused to drop the knife and eventually is seen lunging at an officer. Officers open fire. Then the problems are seen. The range is not severe, and while they struck the threat, two civilians in the subway car were hit by bullets. One was seriously wounded in the head. An officer was also shot! I think perhaps the officer was the victim of a ricochet.
The takeaway. In a crowded environment, be certain of your shot. Don’t fire unless absolutely necessary. The officers were correct to fire as a knife is a lethal threat because an assailant may easily cross 21 feet before you can draw and fire to stop him. This is proven in training and demonstrations and has been legally supported as the Tueller Rule. The shots that went wild are a serious problem. More training? Officers are concerned with public safety. In our world, the civilian world, it would be best to back away as we keep the gun aimed at the assailant, especially in such a crowded area. Sometimes there is no good answer.
The incident. This is a terrible case of an avoidable injury. An off-duty officer is attempting to secure his weapon. He is distracted with something in his weak-side hand while his handgun becomes trapped in the fabric of a garment. The gun fires and the officer is hit by a ricochet. He recovered, but the wound was severe.
The takeaway. Be absolutely familiar with your firearm and holster. Why was the gun out of the holster in the elevator? Perhaps he was carrying without a holster, although this isn’t obvious. It appears he removed the pistol from a side pocket in a sweater then attempted to replace and re-adjust the handgun. It apparently had shifted in the pocket. If you meet resistance on holstering, stop what you are doing immediately!
As another takeaway, the bullet that struck the officer was definitely a ricochet off the elevator. Modern high-velocity 9mm hollow points will ricochet! They are less likely to ricochet off an angled surface but they do not completely flatten and do not fall back at a few inches on most surfaces. Be certain of your gun handling, stop when the gun meets resistance on re-holstering, and do not carry without a holster! Practice concealed carry. It is not the same as open carry practice on the firing range. Make drawing and re-holstering part of your dry-fire (no ammunition) practice.
The incident. In this video, an officer mistakes a pistol for a taser and draws, fires, and shoots a man in a situation that does not call for deadly force. This is a debatable issue. I don’t see how anyone could mistake a gun for a taser. Period. The taser is worn crossdraw. The tactile feel is completely different.
Some years ago, an undertrained officer in Oklahoma made the same mistake and it turns out the Sheriff’s office had falsified the man’s training records. His service as a reserve officer was basically a political favor. The Sheriff, the agency, and the officer (he was well off) paid out a lot of money.
The takeaway. Be familiar with your equipment. I have seen students fail to apply a safety, fail to de-cock, fail to seat the magazine fully, and activate the magazine release and dump magazines during a training class. But they were trained out of these mistakes! Be competent and confident with your gear! It isn’t that difficult.
The incident. I have looked over this video carefully and so have several of my associates, including those with police and military experience. Police handle a lot of guns daily and ninety-nine percent of the time, they do a great job. In this video, the young man arrested obviously has some serious issues. There is a drop box for meds and drugs at the agency…no questions asked. It is a good way to dispose of out-of-date or dangerous prescriptions. A young man attempted to grab a handful from the depository. Now, that is a desperate, whacked-out dope fiend to grab a fix in front of a gaggle of peace officers. As he is arrested and the officers move to control him, there is movement and an officer’s gun discharges in the holster!
So, what happened? By some accounts and observations, the pistol was not properly seated. The Safariland holster used is among the best designed of duty holsters. One theory, and SIG’s answer, is that the pistol was not completely seated and that somehow something contacted the trigger and the handgun fired.
In my experience in revolver days, a revolver trigger sometimes contacted a safety strap or thumbreak that had moved into the holster mouth. If you were paying attention, the extra force was immediately noticeable. In this case, perhaps the handgun was not properly seated or perhaps it was or maybe it should not have made any difference. On the other hand, there are videos of a SIG P320 being dropped from heights and struck with a mallet and not firing.
The takeaway. Too many shooters have come to rely upon a lighter trigger rather than a service-grade trigger. I would never add an aftermarket trigger of any type to any service handgun. Some may be reliable, but many are not. That wasn’t the case here, but the P320 has no manual safety or trigger lever set in the face of the trigger. I have picked up trigger shoes after a match and seen triggers fail in competition, which is more of a test than most of us will put a gun to during training. Bottom line, I cannot fault the gun beyond question nor the holster nor the officer but for certain a firearm discharged with no one’s finger on the trigger. Be certain to properly holster the firearm. Be certain to know your limits in managing a trigger. Choose your handgun well.
The incident. A few years ago, about ten miles from my home, a couple was traveling in their vehicle on a narrow back road. They saw a baby safety car seat in the road with a little blue-eyed blonde baby no more than a year old strapped in. Many possible explanations leapt into their mind, such as a car jacker had stolen a car and left the baby that was in the car in the road. This has happened. The couple stopped and raced to the child’s aid. The baby’s parents, two hardened dope fiends, emerged from hiding and robbed the older couple. Unbelievable? Not at all. Remember, most victims of human trafficking are the victims of their parent’s drug debts or have run away from an abusive home. They have not ‘fallen into a bad crowd’ in most cases. Using a baby for gain or subterfuge is, unfortunately, far from rare.
In the video above, we see the shocking face of pure evil. A man yells for help from an officer, telling the officer that someone is choking. The officer rushes to help and is shot as he closes in. During the ensuing battle, a total of nine officers are injured, largely as they attempt to rescue a baby who has been set on the porch. The shooter is eventually killed. A woman is found dead in the apartment.
The takeaway. This shooting reminds us to doubt everything and be surprised by nothing. Anything is possible and some shooters are simply evil people bent not on profit or self-defense but on inflicting human suffering. Don’t be surprised by depravity.
The incident. In this video, we see officers dealing with either mental illness or dope. Perhaps both — they are fraternal twins. The situation was a domestic incident, and there were children in the home. The situation appeared defused at one point in the video. Never assume that the danger is over. The officers handled the case well. But as the situation concluded, the female involved grabbed a knife and threatened the officers. A knife cannot be discounted. I have seen too many knife attacks. They are horrible and sometimes deadly. A knife scar gives my own face a degree of character, you might say. A knife is a deadly threat. Despite attempting to disarm the woman and actually throwing her to the ground, in one frame she did not drop the knife and was shot. Four rapid shots were fired.
The takeaway. In this situation, the action was very close…uncomfortably close, in fact. Be prepared for zero range and practice the same.
The incident. Here, it is unclear what the gunman’s motive was — robbery or murder. He confronts a group of school children and mothers at a bus stop. I have nothing but praise for the actions of an off-duty officer and mother who, thankfully, was standing at the bus stop. She drew immediately from concealed carry without a trace of fumble or lost motion. She fired using a one-hand shoulder point and connected with the perpetrator. The threat collapsed as the policewoman rushed to cover behind a vehicle quarterpanel. She commanded the perpetrator to roll over on his stomach, secured the weapon, and stood on his back. The perpetrator died at the hospital.
The takeaway. This immediate action saved lives and stands as an excellent example of initiative and proper gun handling and tactics.
The incident. Don’t ever underestimate the ability of a shooter to inflict death and injury. This felon was using his vehicle for cover. Had he remained behind cover he would have been much more difficult to take out. He left his vehicle and fired at a trooper, wounding the officer in the arm. The officer retreated and rolled to cover. Another trooper fired and dropped the man at what I figure is long range for this type of shooting.
The takeaway. I think the primary takeaway in this video is that the bad guys do know how to shoot. At least sometimes. Cover is vital, and you are likely to be shot if you leave cover. Another lesson: don’t underestimate the ability of the threat to take you out at ranges past ten yards. And learn to fire accurately at longer range.
[Note: If you watch this video, take note of the significant blood loss suffered by the officer who was shot in the arm and the assisting officer’s use of a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. This is a real-life example of what Shoot ON contributor Paul Markel was referring to in this recent article, where he talks about the need to carry essential medical gear on you at all times.]
The incident. In this one, a dangerous shooter is addressed by police gunfire as he stops at a roadblock and emerges from his vehicle with a handgun. There is a back story here — the man had already killed his wife. His willingness to murder was known. At one point, he placed the gun to his own head.
The takeaway. You cannot take chances in this type of situation. He was shot and the shots fired did not all strike the man. Some struck the ground. Often enough in excitement and fear, you keep firing. Control that if you can!
There is another lesson here that I cannot emphasize enough. People who are suicidal can be homicidal. People who have decided to commit suicide may take you with them. There are dozens of incidents that prove this. The inane TV cop who lays down his gun and approaches a suicidal person would be fired immediately if he survived the situation in real life. Don’t allow the cinema to influence your actions.
The incident. This video will promote discussion and much controversy. I have been on the police side of this type of thing often. I have awoken people in the middle of the night during searches, have informed them of death or injury to family at all hours, and have served warrants at all hours. As for going to the wrong address, it could happen. Sometimes, calls are not what they seem. The police identified themselves loudly. They had lights. The man armed himself in response and claimed, and rightly so, I believe, that he thought his home was being burglarized. He did not properly evaluate the situation. He was finally convinced the cops were real after he was arrested. I think we have to give the officers a great deal of credit for the way they handled the situation. I would not like a shotgun-armed person threatening me. The cops did not shoot, but then I am going to be certain the cops are real!
The takeaway. I have been awakened in the middle of the night by cops searching for a runaway. I went to the door with a pistol in hand. I only heard a knock. I did not hold the gun up but a single finger (wait), put the gun away, and returned and opened the door. I had recognized the officers. There are nervous and touchy officers, and there are homeowners who don’t know how to handle a situation like this. Let’s hope they don’t intersect, and that each keeps their head straight. Charges against the man were dropped, but he spent two days in the crossbar hotel.
The incident. This is a confused scene. An officer arrives at a shooting scene in which two people have already been shot. As a young man renders first aid to a shooting victim, another person draws a gun and points it in a threatening manner. There is barely time to issue a warning and the officer fires. Two people are dead and one wounded in the end. A chaotic scene!
The takeaway. Don’t assume that the fight is over when two people are down. There may be any number of shooters. Anyone in a crowd may be dangerous. The officer drew and fired quickly…his only choice. He fired accurately in a crowded environment. There are plenty of people around, one trying to help and the others sightseers obscuring the events that had occurred. As a civilian, don’t go where angels fear to tread.
The incident. Here is a deranged person walking into a police station and attempting to murder officers. If suicide by cop was the goal, he achieved it.
During my tenure, a fellow drove a car into the PD, causing quite a lot of damage to the building façade. A couple showed up drunken to argue. It isn’t unusual for a neighbor or assailant to show up at your home or property line on a similar mission.
This video illustrates one of the very few gun fumbles among the bad guys I have been able to isolate. The man evidently forgot to charge his weapon. After drawing the pistol, he took considerable time fumbling with his handgun to get it operational. He was able to shoot, but then he went down in a hail of fire.
The takeaway #1. Anything, no matter how insane, could happen to you. On the flip side, be certain your gun handling skills are in place. As for the deceased perpetrator, he had previously committed arson by setting a strip mall on fire. His attorney stated that he “wished to light a fire to warm the homeless” or something of that nature. He also previously assaulted jail personnel. I have dealt with the mean, the evil, and the stupid, sometimes all in one package. The criminally mentally ill are by far the most terrifying.
The takeaway #2. Cops will face the same adversary you will face — the same felons — except they will have a backup sometimes and immediate communication. The distance was sometimes short but other times the shots were long handgun shots. I did not see any officers fumbling their handguns. This means the point-and-fire system striker-fired Glock is working.
It wasn’t that long ago in training that I observed students forget to de-cock their SIG P226 or Beretta 92. I trained an agency on the Beretta 92 and officers had a very difficult time with the first shot hit with the long double-action trigger. Many had difficulty with the safety, so most carried with the safety off safe as a result. There was no recipe for success in the time allotted for training. My son’s military experience in training those under his command mirror my own. And that was the key. Not enough time for training. None of us have enough time for training. We must make the most of it. The simpler striker-fired guns are getting the job done.
The takeaway #3. Accuracy is vital. Speed is critical in some situations. Practice the concealed carry draw! Practice getting the handgun into action and also safely holstering the weapon. I think that while selecting a service grade pistol is important for reliability and hit probability, there are many shooters who just don’t get it. There are some who are terribly complacent concerning their personal defense. In other words, their life isn’t as important as it should be. Anyone carrying a derringer, a small handgun such as a .380, or a snubnose .38 as their primary is cavalier with their survival.
Quickly presenting the handgun and getting a hit is crucial. The handgun should have good handling and good sights, a good trigger, and offer a reasonable reserve of ammunition. I still believe accurate hits are more important than a flurry of shots, but sometimes the threat takes a lot of shooting before they go down. And you must have parity with the threat. Most all of the threats I have found in videos, including many not included in this report, armed themselves with modern self-loading pistols. They will be as well armed as you are.
The Glock is the favorite among bad guys and it isn’t rare for a gang to have converted full-auto Glocks. That isn’t a myth.
There are so many lessons to learn. The reality is that too many people are mean, stupid, violent, and unpredictable. Evil is a good description. Mental illness is far from rare. Sometimes good folks make mistakes in defending themselves. Train, study, walk yourself through some bad situations in your mental training. and consider how you would handle potential situations.
