One of the limits to the legal use of deadly force was illustrated by a recent incident in Detroit, Michigan. A disabled veteran caught a robbery suspect, and attempted to hold him for police. After about five minutes, the suspect ran away. The vet shot in the air in an attempt to stop the suspect, but it did not work. From clickondetroit.com(with video):
"The criminal hit me with something in the back of my head," the veteran said. He did not want to be named in this story.When the police showed up, they cited the veteran, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, for shooting inside of city limits. They did not confiscate his pistol, which appears to be a Taurus 24/7 pro with ambidextrous safety.
The robber was trying to steal the man's gold chain. He chased the robber and returned to the restaurant a few minutes later with the robber held at gunpoint.
"I pushed him and I told him, 'Punk, sit down. Punk, sit down,'" he said. "He looked at me and thought I was an easy target because I'm disabled, but don't let the smooth taste fool ya. That's how he got caught up."
The veteran is carrying the Taurus in an inside the waistband holster, without any additional retention.
In a case such as this, the veteran might have been able to get assistance from other customers. The suspect was not complying; they could have taken pictures. Perhaps they did so. It is hard to believe that the suspect will escape custody.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch
You should never fire warning shots if there is only one aggressor. It is too dangerous. That bullet will come down somewhere and possibly kill or seriously injure someone. You should only fire warning shots if there is more than one aggressor, and you should do it in this manner. The first warning shot should be aimed center mass of the first intended target. Once that target goes down, it serves as a warning to the others. Once you are down to having one target, then there are no more warnings shots. You shoot to kill.
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