# Can you make the shot you can't afford to miss?



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Attacking a "fleeting, frustrating target:" the human head*

By Dave Grossi

_"Baker-16, Baker-16. Domestic in-progress. See the man at the Cost Saver on Warner Boulevard. He'll be outside &#8230; east parking lot, in a silver Ford. The suspect and vic are in a red SUV. Baker-21 assist."_
You "10-4" the call. You're only two blocks away, your backup a good 10 minutes out. As you swing into the parking lot, you're flagged down by the caller, who points toward two twenty-somethings standing outside the driver's door of a red SUV. The female looks distressed, her clothes disheveled. The male looks clearly angry. 
As you walk toward them, the male starts to tighten and relax his fists. "Sir, stay right there," you tell him. He moves toward you instead. "Sir, I asked you to stay right there!" He keeps coming, jaw clenched, eyes boring into you. He's at least 10 years your junior and easily 15 pounds heavier, all in his upper body and arms. The tats on his forearms tell you he's not the first-chair violinist for the local philharmonic. 
OK, it's gonna be a baton day, you're thinking as you snap out your expandable. 
Before you can key your mic and ask Baker-21 to step it up, the suspect is already in your face with his hands up. Two forward baton strikes, one to his calf the other to his thigh, feel like you're hitting a side a beef, and you get the same reaction: Nothing. A blow to his forearm doesn't fully connect, and before you can strike again, he's got you in a head lock, trying to wrestle you to the ground. 
You feel your baton yanked from your hand. He raises it over his head. You manage to break free and back away maybe five feet. He moves toward you. "Stop right there!" you yell as you draw your Glock 40 cal. 
"Go ahead, shoot me!" The first words he's spoken since you arrived. 
You sense the front bumper of your car behind you. Nowhere else to go, you think. You deliver a quick double tap to his upper torso-with the same result as your baton strikes. He doesn't even flinch. You see your third shot hit, center mass torso. Still he keeps coming, ready to strike with your baton.

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...an-you-make-the-shot-you-cant-afford-to-miss/


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## CJIS (Mar 12, 2005)

Interesting read


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## cmagryan (Dec 15, 2004)

- Striking in similarity to a shooting (2 years ago or so?) in this area. 

- Always good to think about ....


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## mpc111 (Oct 4, 2002)

Failure drill, failure drill, failure drill....more and more agencies in this area are starting to get on the ball with this instead of the old 2 rounds to the torso, scan and assess.


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

A head hit is also not a guaranteed man-stopper either. For the shot to induce neurological shock, it must penetrate through the front of the brain and strike a vital part of the brain, an area responsible for muscle coordination, respiration, etc. Hits in other areas will induce massive bleeding, and perhaps eventual death, but may not stop a determined attacker. There are many stories of officers achieving head hits without stopping an attacker. 
A hit to either the upper spinal column, brain stem or cerebellum will induce instant incapacitation. If you find yourself having to transition from center mass body to head hits, aim for the center of the face, from between the eyes to about the nose. This is a soft-tissue area and hopefully a hit here will penetrate into the base of brain and produce an instant shut down.



> It was only a couple of sentences at the end of the article, but don't underestimate the incapacitating potential of a pelvic shot as well. Harder to miss that a head and between big fat arteries and easy to shatter bone a hit to the pelvis can easily drop and possibly bleed out the toughest enemy. Certainly not the instant results of a good head shot but it can be much more practical depending on circumstances.


A hit to the pelvic is girdle is good, a hit there destroys the attackers' center of gravity, and can also hit some major blood vessels. But while it can drop an attacker, it doesn't necessarily stop the attack. A person lying on the ground can still fire a pistol, shotgun or rifle. If you transition to pelvic girdle hit, and the attacker falls to the ground, don't think the fight has ended. Move to a position of cover to assess the situation before trying to approach and apprehend.


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

Im reminded of that Fla sheriff last year that , when asked why his deputies put 50 or so rounds into the cop killer replied "thats all the bullets they had"


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