LA: 40 Shots Required to stop Determined Attacker

Sometimes, 7 shots are not enough.  10 Shots are not enough.  20 shots are not enough, 30 shots are not enough.  In the case related below, 40 shots were required to defeat a determined attacker.

Most predators retreat in the face of resistance.  If a predator faces armed resistance very many times, they will be killed or wounded.  In nature, that makes for a short life.  But there are motives for aggression other than predation.  Defending territory and competing for mates are two of them, often intertwined.  Those conflicts are engaged in with fierce dedication.  Without territory or mates,  a predator does not pass on its genes.  A missed predatory opportunity is just one of many.  Available territory and mates are limited.

It is not surprising that domestic attacks may be pursued with irrational dedication.   They are subject to deep seated drives that are not easily dismissed.  Nearly everyone can tell you how surprised and amazed they were at how strong and irrational jealousy was, when they experienced it.  Some go 'over the edge'.

It can take a lot of shots to stop a determined attacker.   Read some of the accounts of what Medal of Honor awardees endure and keep on fighting.  The human body can take an amazing amount of punishment and maintain some fighting ability.  In addition, it is hard to make aimed shots at someone who is shooting at you.  Many shots are fired at small moving targets, at places where you think your shots may penetrate and be effective, or as ways to pressure the attacker to take cover. 

That is what seems to have happened in this case in Louisiana.  The attacker was determined, but even determined, suicidal attackers, are subject to the laws of physics.

In this domestic defense case, the defender fired 40 shots, and the wounded attacker finally committed suicide.  From theadvocate.com:

Stephanie Averett heard him yell he was “bleeding out” and said Johnson told him they would get him help if he would stop shooting. But the gunfire resumed.

Eventually, deputies arriving on the scene directed Johnson and Stephanie Averett out through a window. By the time some of those deputies made it inside the house, Sidney Averett had shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene. A semi-automatic handgun and a revolver were found near his body. Another bloody handgun was found in his car, the report states.

Investigators believe he fired about 20 rounds. Johnson shot 40 from his service pistol. 

 David Johnson's pistol would be considered an 'assault weapon' in numerous pieces of proposed legislation.   If someone tells you that domestic defenders never 'need' more than 7, or 10, or 20, or 30 rounds, tell them about this case.


 ©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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