Cases where .22 WAS fatal

[Halo]

There was a show on the History Channel (I think) about the development of body armor, and the founder of one of the bulletproof vest companies related a story about how he shot 3 thugs while delivering pizza in Detroit, in 1969. IIRC he used a .22 revolver and it had the desired effect. I'm sure someone here can add the full details of this story.

 

[tasco 74]

i remember that turkey test

rimfire central is another of the shooting forums i go to about every day and i do remember seeing that test... i've always had a great respect for a .22 rimfire round.. i'm wondering now just what kind of wound a stray .17 hm2 might make on a flesh target... i'd hate to be shot with my rws .17 cal air rifle! it's a model 34 rated at 1000fps for some pellets... a know it will penitrate hard wood pretty good... if a guy was pressed into it a rimfire rifle would make a great quiet sniper rifle................

 

[ScottsGT]

Saw a man get killed back when I was 16 or 17. Victim was the county dog catcher. Murderer was a hunter that had his dog picked up and put to sleep by animal control within hours of being picked up. Come to find out, it was an ongoing fued these two men had going for years. .22LR out of a rifle did the deed. Man died instantly with a shot to the chest.

 

[Keegan]

The SEALs used to carry suppressed Ruger MKII's. I can only assume that they wouldn't have done so if the caliber wasn't sufficient to put down an EC quickly and quietly.

 

[rbernie]

I'm particularly interested in what type of .22 it was (short, LR, Mag, etc.) and where it entered and exited the body.

I am not sure what purpose this is serving.

I asked myself the same question.

I know that we discuss terminal ballistics here pretty readily, but usually not quite as directly stated as this query. The question asked sounds an awful lot like 'where should I shoot somebody if I want to kill them with a 22LR'; that topic may be uncomfortable to some.

But in all fairness, legal defense is not limited to large-caliber weapons. If all I have is a 22LR pistol, I'd like to know where best to aim to maximize the effectiveness of the round.

 

[jad0110]

A few years back, two guys I was aquainted with from back in my high school days were handling a 22 SA revolver. Both were friends of each other from the time they were little kids. Sadly, one violated several of the "4 rules" and had a ND. The bullet struck his friend in the left side of his back, between the armpit and the shoulder blade and struck his heart. Apparently, the victim said to his lifelong friend something to the effect of "You idiot, you shot me!", then died immediately thereafter.

Can't begin to fathom the anguish the survivor must feel.

 

[grampster]

This thread should be a valuable reminder of the terrible consequences that can result because of careless handling of firearms.

As we have just been shown, .22 caliber is deadly. Now is a good time to remind ourselves of the 4 Rules.

I lost 2 good friends that were fellow officers when I was in LE. Both were shot in upper left chest near the shoulder. Both hit with small caliber handguns. The resulting fragmentation etc caused them to bleed out before they could be attended to.

Please practice safe handling of all firearms and be sure to pass along and show by example how and why one should treat all firearms with respect and care.

 

[foghornl]

I don't know if I could even find the story now, but I remember something from around 1973 or so...

Guy was out squirrel hunting. Stopped for lunch, sat down against a tree. Another hunter spotted what he thought was a squirrel, 1 shot with a .22LR rifle...first hunter caught bullet just behind ear.

First hunter was wearing a "Coon-Skin Hat", complete with tail.

 

[searcher451]

Any number of mob hits through the years. The .22 is still the weapon of choice for wise guys, as much for the quiet nature of the round as for the rattling and scrambling it's capable of doing. I know a couple of LEOs in Vegas who just laugh at discussions about the .22 being underpowered.

 

[rtroha]

Fifteen year old kills deputy with .22 rifle:

Deputy Tomaszewski had pulled over a fifteen-year-old youth on a traffic violation. The youth apparently told the officer he did not have his driver's license with him but if the Deputy would follow him, he would get it. The officer followed the youth to a private home along a rural road southwest of Wellington. When they reached the house on Griggs Road, they both went inside. The youth then allegedly grabbed a .22 caliber rifle and shot Deputy Tomaszewski in the chest. The Deputy fired three rounds from his own gun, but the boy was not injured. Tomaszewski staggered out of the house, collapsed on the driveway, and was seen by a neighbor who called the police.

http://www.loraincountysheriff.com/in_memoriam.htm

 

[Mark whiz]

My Father-in-Law was killed with a single .22lr shot. Passing shot, in one eye socket and out the other at close range. They are lethal.

I didn't look to see if it was mentioned - but Ronald Reagan was damn near killed with a .22 as well.

 

[thunder173]

Have also had the occasion to take a deer or two over the years with a .22LR fired from both a 2 1/2 H&R revolver, and various .22 rifles,... head shots....15-20 feet. It works. Have had occasion to carry a suppressed Ruger in my youth as well,....user ID should tell you when and where,....it's great for small game,...and works for the larger,....folks shouldn't pooh pooh the .22LR,...or even the .22 short up close. They WILL get the job done,...and they do it ever so quietly.

 

[Spyvie]

When I was a kid 30 years ago the standard mantra was “more people are killed with a .22 than any other gun” I don't know if that was true but I suspect it was. Now a days the 9mm may have taken over that position... or maybe not.

Any number of mob hits through the years. The .22 is still the weapon of choice for wise guys, as much for the quiet nature of the round as for the rattling and scrambling it's capable of doing. I know a couple of LEOs in Vegas who just laugh at discussions about the .22 being underpowered.

I've had a conversation with a Vegas LEO (I lived and worked there for a couple of years) who essentially said the same thing, and added that a .22 hollow point will deform so much that it's difficult or impossible to trace it back to a specific gun.

 

[IllHunter]

The way I heard it...

the standard mantra was “more people are killed with a .22 than any other gun”

"More people heve been killed with a .22 than with ALL other calibers."

Of course, there's no way to prove or disprove this. It's just "the old saw"

 

[mattsb2000]

Interesting thread.

 

[woodybrighton]

theres a few kids killed every year in the UK by air rifles probably pushing out less than 12lbs/foot the legal limit
one killed by some idiot who's defense was he meant to hit the fire engine:banghead:

theres a picture in the local paper of a child has a .177 air pellet middle of the brain after being accidentally shot suffered a stroke but expected to live

 

[testar77]

Yaaay, the weekly is a .22 fatal thread!

:banghead: Seriously, it's a FIREARM!

 

[HatFried]

I vaugely remember a story around these parts a couple of months ago about a would be gangbanger and a .22. In order to "rough up" a local businessman he shot the guy multiple times in the legs and torso believing that the .22 would not kill him. Surprise surprise it did.

If memory serves me correctly, the prosecuter for the case called him "stupid" in court.

 

[doc2rn]

As a Advanced Cardiac Life Support Medic in Charleston SC I can personally testify to 5 deaths where a .22lr was fatal.
One was a suicide- guy shot himself in the head it was lethal but he was able to write a note before he died.
Second was a shot to the heart- guy was chasing a guy and girl from a bar and was shot with a NAA .22
Third was a guy shot in the head as he slept by his wife.
Four was a couple of guys shooting in the swamp- a ricochet off an abandoned car was fatal.
Five was from an 13 yo shooting a rival gang member over some sort of initiation.

 

[svtruth]

Kitty

Genovese was shot with a .22
High Standard used to manufacture suppressed .22s for the OSS.

 

[B yond]

The question asked sounds an awful lot like 'where should I shoot somebody if I want to kill them with a 22LR';

That's not how it was intended. I'm just curious, and I don't believe too much knowledge can ever be a bad thing. Curious and homicidal are very different.

 

[crazed_ss]

Oceanside cop here in San Diego killed by a .22 sometime last year IIRC. I think I read an article where he was shot from like 70yds off..

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080318-1840-bn18bessant.html

Tuesday, a firearms analyst testified that the bullet that killed Bessant was fired from the .22-caliber rifle with a scope that was recovered in Gaono's backyard shed.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/18641-officer-daniel-s.-bessant

The shot struck Officer Bessant under his arm in an area not covered by his bullet resistant vest.

 

[gym]

About 35 years ago, more deaths were caused by 22's than any other caliber. Don't underestamate, the round, I have seen guides take down large Game with a 22, they get right up to a Moose and put a round of 22LR, right in the ear. Someone should make a 22 magnum auto pistol. Try a ruger heavy barrel next time you are at a range. You can empty thae mag in 2 or 3 seconds with almost no recoil. that's why the mob used to use them

 

[Moonclip]

.22mag auto pistols do exist. AMT used to make one for one example.

 

[doubleg]

Several years ago on the news there was a big stink about a man robbing a bar taking the elderly bartender in the back and shooting him 9 TIMES IN THE HEAD, with a .22 revolver loaded with subsonic ammunition. His wife walked in later on and found him. The amazing part of this story is that he lived . If someone wants to call BS this happened in Clairton, PA about 2-3 years ago. I'm way to lazy to search the webernet.