Woman saves church from active shooter

[rambone]

Some whack-job used smoke grenades to spring an ambush outside of a worship center. A Colorado woman took action by engaging the active shooter with her carry weapon. The story is from 2007 but got a news bump yesterday. It was the first I had heard of it.

The shooter had to be shot more than 10 times to finally cease to be a threat. Consider that when you figure out your carry configuration.


Jeanne Assam: 'It was me, the gunman, and God'

 

[Bigum1969]

Old story... but a great one to re-visit.

 

[dholmtime]

That is a wild story!! +1 for that brave lady

 

[JetGirl]

It was the first I had heard of it.

Seriously?? Wow.

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

Some whack-job used smoke grenades to spring an ambush outside of a worship center. A Colorado woman took action by engaging the active shooter with her carry weapon. The story is from 2007 but got a news bump yesterday. It was the first I had heard of it.

The shooter had to be shot more than 10 times to finally cease to be a threat. Consider that when you figure out your carry configuration.


Jeanne Assam: 'It was me, the gunman, and God'

Wow...interesting story indeed! Haven't seen this one either.

How did you determine that 10 times was the number for the assailant to not be a threat? Was that the number of times shot in which he no longer returned fire or when he was dead?

 

[indyjoe]

Wow...interesting story indeed! Haven't seen this one either.

How did you determine that 10 times was the number for the assailant to not be a threat? Was that the number of times shot in which he no longer returned fire or when he was dead?

That is what it sounded like to me. Shot him 5 times. He went down. Sat back up and started to return fire again, so she continued shooting. She stopped when he was no longer a threat. It sounds like he was still moving when she fired her last rounds.

In a situation like this, the one thing she did wrong is a very cop thing, yell to drop his weapon. Screw that. He is an active shooter, actively killing people. I will use surprise to my advantage to stop his ass. Period. No warning. JHPs will be the first thing to tell him to stop. Anything thing else gives him more advantage.

If you are in a fair fight, you are doing it wrong.

This is similar to the cop that was yelling at the felon robbing a McDonalds (I think) with a shotgun. He yelled to stop and the guy got off a round that killed a child. He is committing a felony with a weapon and threatening the life of others, put them down. That is my take on it.

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

That is what it sounded like to me. Shot him 5 times. He went down. Sat back up and started to return fire again, so she continued shooting.

In a situation like this, the one thing she did wrong is a very cop thing, yell to drop his weapon. Screw that. He is an active shooter, actively killing people. I will use surprise to my advantage to stop his ass. Period. No warning. JHPs will be the first thing to tell him to stop. Anything thing else gives him more advantage.

If you are in a fair fight, you are doing it wrong.

Have to agree with you there, yelling to drop his weapon. It's a police training website anyway so I suppose you're supposed to yell that. But already actively shooting and killing people overrides any action to yell to drop a weapon. But the article said she was a "former" police officer.

After 5 rounds he went down. I'm still trying to figure out why 5 more were needed if he sat back up. Seems like she would have had her weapon clearly pointed at him with the advantage of him being down and wounded, possibly mortally. One clean shot to the chest or head would have put him down for good.

 

[indyjoe]

After 5 rounds he went down. I'm still trying to figure out why 5 more were needed if he sat back up. Seems like she would have had her weapon clearly pointed at him with the advantage of him being down and wounded, possibly mortally. One clean shot to the chest or head would have put him down for good.

We don't have an idea of range and she was also taking fire. So I can't fault her for not getting a head shot on him. She made it, he didn't. I think she did pretty good.

It also sounded like he was pretty mobile, moving around the corner from her.

With her in an ambush situation, I wonder if it would have been possible to go for the first surprise head shot, as he crosses her ambush hall. Of course, that would also not work with the announcing action. At 10 feet, the head is a pretty small target, with COM hits immediately following if you can't make the shot.

 

[rambone]

How did you determine that 10 times was the number for the assailant to not be a threat? Was that the number of times shot in which he no longer returned fire or when he was dead?

There is a video on the page I linked, and the woman gives an interview. She mentioned shooting him 10 times, if I heard her correctly.

The video also shows a layout of the building and may shed some light on the distances that the shooting occurred at.

 

[dross]

That event took place about five miles from where I'm typing this right now.

I live in the county in Colorado that has the highest percentage of CCW holders in the state. The sheriffs here have been positive towards CCW, even before we became "shall issue." Our new sheriff just lowered the admin fee, so our CCW fees are the lowest in the state.

Bad guys would be wise to choose some other place than El Paso County, Colorado to be bad.

 

[mrortega]

That's why I've carried in church since then.

 

[indyjoe]

Unfortunately, with current laws, many would be in violation if they carried in a church with a school.

 

[Que]

Unfortunately, with current laws, many would be in violation if they carried in a church with a school.

Minor thread jack:

This law needs to be changed to be more like the speed signs: 25 between the hours of 7 AM and 3 PM. People should be allowed to carry in their church if school is not is its normal session.

As for the lady, +1!

As for Rambone posting a gun-related thread, +1! Just kidding.

 

[dom1104]

Huh. Interesting.

My church has a school....

 

[Driver]

Have to agree with you there, yelling to drop his weapon. It's a police training website anyway so I suppose you're supposed to yell that. But already actively shooting and killing people overrides any action to yell to drop a weapon. But the article said she was a "former" police officer.

After 5 rounds he went down. I'm still trying to figure out why 5 more were needed if he sat back up. Seems like she would have had her weapon clearly pointed at him with the advantage of him being down and wounded, possibly mortally. One clean shot to the chest or head would have put him down for good.

In the video she stated that she shot him 5 times which put him on his back. She then said he sat up and she said drop your weapon or I will kill you. He started shooting at her as he went around the corner. She shot him 5 more times to kill him.

 

[Armed Eastsider]

This could have all been avoided if the church posted a "no firearms allowed" sign on the door.