No "center of mass" for this shooter ...

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SleazyRider

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My morning newspaper featured an article about a police officer who dodged gunfire and stopped an armed holdup in a salon where she was getting her hair done. For her extreme calm under duress and incredible marksmanship, she was promoted to detective yesterday in a ceremony attended by Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly.

Apparently the off-duty police officer was getting her hair done at a salon in Brooklyn, when a a gunman burst in brandishing a .44 magnum revolver, demanding that the four women in the salon surrender their valuables. When the off-duty police officer identified herself, the gunman opened fire. The police officer calmly exchanged fire, shooting the gun out of his hand and then shooting the handle off the door to delay his escape!

Commissioner Kelly praised her "stunning marksmanship" and "steely courage," while the Mayor said she saved lives.

So what do you think? Is this a viable strategy for foiling a robbery? Does it contradict the "shoot to stop" mindset? Will the public expect this movie-like marksmanship from other officers?
 
im sorry...i dont find any of that believable........

it literally sounds like something out of a bad B action movie......

nobody shoots to shot a gun and a door knob.....and if it did actually happen it was due to some EXTREME luck and nothing to do with the skill of the shooter.....

the mere fact that you can remain calm enough to accurately shoot a gun out of someones hands shooting back at you is absurd.......


it honestly sounds to me like she needs to learn how to shot her weapon......

....if this did happen....it was a fluke and shes just running with it.......
 
According to today's WSJ, "she said she couldn't say much, citing grand-jury testimony scheduled for Wednesday, but said she called on her training and aimed for 'center mass' ".
 
Lots of criticism about marksmanship or the lack thereof here.

Whenever you guys have your SD shootouts, please do let us know what your groups looked like.
 
Yes, though I reported the "facts" as I read them, I too am skeptical, given the propensity of the free press to embellish, as well as the PR angle from the mayor's office. Still, I'm concerned about the fallout: will the public expect Hollywood-style shooting from the police department based on this story?
 
So what do you think? Is this a viable strategy for foiling a robbery?
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No. Luck was on her side. Even if she meant to hit those targets, she was extremely lucky. If a suspect is opening fire in a public location, it seems reasonable and prudent to put him down so as not to further endanger the public since she has no backup, and likely no reloads. If she is that good of a shot, I would think it would be reasonable to put one in his cranium and drop him. Firing shots at the door handle could have back fired. Ricochets could have hurt someone or a missed shot would have penetrated the door and went out into the street. Aside from that, we've all read stories where glocks or revolvers took a round and were still able to fire that round in the chamber (I've read about a glock surviving a shotgun slug while holstered, and the officer was actually able to fire off the chambered round).

Edit:: There's a reason someone invented "breaching rounds" for a shotgun...handgun rounds typically don't do squat to a lock or a good door handle. Simply a matter of luck that she disabled the door handle.

I think what we are looking at here is some lucky shot placement. Still, she deserves recognition for her bravery. She did a good thing and saved the day. She could have played the pacifist role and hoped he robbed the place and left...but instead she put her life on the line and intervened.
 
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Total skeptic here. Not so much for the "marksmanship" but for the chosen targets. What police department trains for or even condones shooting at the weapon or door knobs? Did she verify what was beyond the door before firing at the knob? Fluke or fallacy but not training.
 
Kudos on her "excellent" markswomanship :D

She was probably focused on the gun in his hand for that "excellent" shot (not uncommon I've read). As for the other shot, killing the door hardware... all I can say is it's probably taken me longer to type this little post out than she had in the entire encounter.

Glad she and others survived due to her response. I'd bet she spends some more time on the range... and I'd hate to be a rapist she encounters while on or off duty. ;)
 
I'm glad things worked out for her. I am inclined to agree with everyone else that she probably didn't mean to shoot the gun out of the mans hand, or shoot the door knob off like Roy Rogers.

Has anyone got a link?
 
Has anyone got a link?
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http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Feris+Jones&safe=strict

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39858188/ns/us_news-wonderful_world/

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/26/nyc-officer-who-stopped-salon-holdup-gets-promoted/

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/10/26/2132873/nyc-officer-who-stopped-salon.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303341904575576800467488086.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_...alon_shooting_offduty_cop_feris_jones_ha.html

I'm not buying that she hit her target either.

Is this a viable strategy for foiling a robbery?
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No

Does it contradict the "shoot to stop" mindset?
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yes

Will the public expect this movie-like marksmanship from other officers?
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Some already do, but most people aren't that naive..... I hope.
 
Posted by jimmyraythomason: Total skeptic here. Not so much for the "marksmanship" but for the chosen targets.
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See post #5.

she called on her training and aimed for 'center mass'
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I think that most of us would have chosen the same target under the circumstances.

See post #7:

Posted by Six: Whenever you guys have your SD shootouts, please do let us know what your groups looked like.
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I doubt that very many of us would do much better while being shot at repeatedly at close range.

Posted by Mike J: Has anyone got a link?
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You can search, and there are reports from various sources. Here's one:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/brooklyn_salon_robber_arrested_MWcETW0CnVIFkNj06e1t7O

If you subscribe to the Wall Street journal, you will see her statement that she fired at center mass.

Posted by SleazyRider: So what do you think? Is this a viable strategy for foiling a robbery?
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Yes. Can anyone suggest an alternative?

Does it contradict the "shoot to stop" mindset?
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No.

Will the public expect this movie-like marksmanship from other officers?
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?
 
I'm of the opinion that being involved in a shooting is a lot like landing a plane.
Good for her.
Glad she made it through and didn't kill the perp. Glad she got a promotion.
 
Good for her, stopping the guy. Why did she identify herself before shooting...? That confused me.

Also, I love that Bloomberg was so happy with her shooting. It just strikes me as hilarious.
 
My guess (and that's all it is - a guess) is that she was what I would call "threat focused" as she returned fire - meaning she was looking at the gun in the perp's hand. As a result, her shot(s) went where she was looking. While shooting the gun out of someone's hand is not really a viable "shoot to stop" strategy, it's not an uncommon phenomenon.

As for the door knob ... maybe she was looking to get out of there! :)
 
Betcha she could get some air time on CBS with katie curic.

lordluvaduck.

salty

EDIT:

It was in response to an aircraft incident and I seem to recall a film clip where ms curic asked a Fed Marshal why he didn't shoot the weapon out of the BGs hand. I think the BG died. But, come to discover later, the BG wasn't really a BG after all, but had a history of mental adjustment problems. An unfortunate victim of circumstance for sure.

sd.
 
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A wins a win....

Also it looks like they overturned the NY carry law, or at least part way, criminals are allowed to carry .44 magnums now.
 
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Not sure where it mentioned anything about disabling the door, or shooting the gun out of the perps hand. The way I read the story in the "Daily News" link, she drew and fired, hitting the suspect in either the arm or leg. The suspect was able to flee, probably dropping the pistol in the process. The only mention of the door was that it normally is locked, allowing the owner to let customers in; but in this case, the door was opened to allow a woman on the street to ask a question, which gave the perp the access to enter.
I also commend the officer in question for her bravery.
 
I'm of the opinion that being involved in a shooting is a lot like landing a plane.
Good for her.
Glad she made it through and didn't kill the perp. Glad she got a promotion.
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umm.......not sure the point you were trying to make with the first sentence.....but landing a plane is honestly not all that difficult........yes...i have landed a plane before....

secondly and more importantly.....why are you glad she got a promotion?.....she obviously displayed a clear absence of shooting ability and IMO panicked in a stressful situation......

i mean, im glad no one was hurt....but why reward her because she couldnt do what she was trained to do......
 
not sure the point you were trying to make with the first sentence.....but landing a plane is honestly not all that difficult
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Well, as they say, any landing that does not result in damage or injury is a successful landing. That is a good analogy.

By the way, the difficulty varies a lot--cross winds, gusts, visibility, turbulence from vortices from large aircraft, or just maybe, a pitching deck.....and that's why they say what they do.

she obviously displayed a clear absence of shooting ability and IMO panicked in a stressful situation......
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She unholstered her gun without being noticed during an armed robbery and shot the man as he rapidly fired four shots at her at point blank range with a .44 Magnum revolver. Why do you believe that she panicked? Are you criticizing her accuracy? If so, why? Do you think she should have taken the time to get a better sight picture?

....but why reward her because she couldnt do what she was trained to do......
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Your basis for that assertion?
 
Three different storied

Wow, I read all six links posted above and got at least three significantly different versions of the story. The CNN one looks like the most believable, where they were all forced into the bathroom and she came back out with her gun drawn. It doesn't read like she 'shot the gun out of his hand', but more as though she returned fire and hit him in the hands (near COM), causing him to drop the gun. Looks like she randomly hit the door lock in the process.

Bravo for her, but the impression some of the stories give about the fact that she was able to shoot his gun, then the doorknob seems a bit sensational to me.
 
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