WFB: Former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey on Tuesday told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the idea of shooting dangerous suspects “to injure” is not realistic or an accepted police tactic.
“Officers are trained to shoot at what we call center mass,” Ramsey said. “Despite what you may see on TV, it’s not easy to hit extremities and so forth—especially under stress.”
The response came during an interview over the police shooting of an African-American man in Philadelphia on Monday. The man, Walter Wallace, was shot and killed when he approached officers with a knife. His death has led to several nights of protests and rioting in the city.
Blitzer asked Ramsey why police shoot “to kill” rather than “to injure and just prevent anything from going further.”
Ramsey emphasized that police are not trained to “shoot to kill” but, rather, trained to shoot at center mass until the threat stops. He lamented that Wallace was killed in the altercation and said he would watch the investigation of the shooting closely—especially claims that Wallace may have been going through a mental-health crisis. But he said the police officers were put in a very difficult position where their own lives and the lives of those around them may have been at stake.
“When you’re at the scene and you have an individual armed with a knife coming toward you, it’s a whole different type of situation,” Ramsey said. “And the officers have to make very quick judgments.” read more
Rob Pincus. Father of the “Frightened Turtle” shooting stance. Effective for little old ladies and cops that don’t practice.
If they train center mass, that’s part of the problem. It’s the mag dumps that really effect public opinion. And mag dumps happen when you don’t practice.
Nooo just wait until the fucker stops running. Or is finished doing the hokey pokey and then you can shoot them in the leg. But if you’re in a hurry, try shooting the leg and tell the people behind him to… Ahh don’t worry about them. Just don’t miss. lol
The center of mass is near the navel. So, if they’re accurate, they blow out people’s small intestines? I’ll wager the pain from that would subdue anyone.
I had a dream once that I got stabbed in the gut. It hurt in my dream! Must have been a night time gas bubble. Beer made from barley can do that to me, so I’ve given it up. I just can’t handle my barley! 🙂
…when I was growing up, I was taught that attacking a police officer with a weapon would get me killed, White skin and all, bug that’s just me…
Mag dumps.
They had an evil white cop shoot an innocent black thug, that had a gun and was trying to shoot the white cop, down in San Bernardino last week. This cop knew his shit. Drew his weapon, rushed the first shot a bit, put two where they count. Done. They had the obligatory rioting the following night. Then it all faded away. You don’t even see that video on line. Usually the mag dump videos are all over the place. Forever.
“…especially claims that Wallace may have been going through a mental-health crisis.”
…which would make it totally OK for him to be allowed to rampage through the neighborhood with a knife and get all stabby on Police Officers.
/s
Seriously, get a GRIP. If someone’s trying to KILL you, this is NOT the time to build a psychological profile and discuss their daddy issues.
And the press would have roasted the cops and caused riots ANYWAY if they let him go on and he stabbed someone ELSE.
“Mental health crisis”.
SMH…
any “mental health crisis” behavior is the personal responsibility of its “owner”
“Ramsey emphasized that police are not trained to “shoot to kill” but, rather, trained to shoot at center mass until the threat stops.”
…when the poorly supervised Black child jumped into Harmbe the Gorilla’s enclosure at The Cincinnati Zoo, they decided very quickly that the child’s Black Life Mattered, and that even though Harambe had not been agressive,that the threat of violence was too great and had to be stopped.
They stopped the threat with a head shot.
…can’t end a threat much more definitively than THAT.
…just sayin’…
When white people are shot do riots usually follow??
If I were King of the World: My first decree would make every last one of these moronic assholes test out their cockamamie bullshit shoot to wound theory.
As soon as I found out any one of them opened their pie hole the local Sheriff would have the bastard picked up, given a hand gun and thrown in a cage with a leopard….
Why is this even a question?
Guns are not toys. You don’t deploy your weapon to intimidate or to scare (see arrests for “brandishing”). You deploy your weapon to stop the threat.
In “The Comancheros” John Wayne’s character says of his killing Lee Marvin’s character: “I didn’t have time not to kill him” (or something to that effect).
And, after all, the same maggots who press for unlimited and mandatory abortion are always convinced Malthusians – and Planned Parenthood was invented to kill negroes – so why cry over a few thousand “surplus populace” shot by cops?
Try for a little philosophical consistency, eh?
izlamo delenda est …
Things are digressing rapidly when an explanation to the average imbecile is required.
{Duh, couldn’t you tase him?}
@ Tim OCTOBER 30, 2020 AT 1:45 PM
Paul Regret:
How do you know you killed him?
Ranger Capt. Jake Cutter:
There wasn’t time not to!
Why is it racist that blacks have to watch their 6 when walking down the street and to put their hands on the steering wheel when pulled over by cops?
It’s just common sense. These same things were taught to my white ass. Are they suggesting it’s racist for black people to engage in common sense?
Just as it’s common sense to aim a weapon at the easiest target. That’s not a flailing arm or leg, it’s center mass. If cops were “shooting to kill,” they’d take the headshot every time.
There’s an all out assault on common sense. That makes sense coming from the left. Lack of common sense = the left’s assault weapon.
Knives are always Loaded.
Period!
““Despite what you may see on TV, it’s not easy to hit extremities and so forth—especially under stress.””
To understand this to a small degree, next time you’re shooting where it’s safe and no one is around try doing a hundred yard dash as fast as you can away from then back to your target then try drawing and firing to see how well you do.
And that isn’t even the pressure and stress of a deadly confrontation.
Try it sometime, it’s good practice if you can shoot somewhere you can do it safely.
Anonymous October 30, 2020 at 3:49 pm
Exactly. That’s why you train doing that very thing. And running from pylon to pylon shooting reactive steel. Training is NOT standing in one spot poking small holes in large sheets of paper.
https://youtu.be/5s8oFOykyIo?t=35
What would YOU do?
If you tell the cops or the court that you were ‘shooting to wound’ and the guy lives he may be suing you for his disabilities, which might include I’m not sleeping at night now and I can’t eat or I’m scared to go outside.
Insane but true.
Repeat after me: I was trying to stop him/her and in fear for my life.
Sad fact is, there’s a lotta people need killin.
That’s why we have Armed Forces, cops, security guards, &c.
We need to quit feigning indignation at ever scum-sucking piece of shit that gets himself killed.
DON’T START NO SHIT; WON’T BE NO SHIT. This was America’s subtle message to Japan 75 years ago – and it’s as relevant today (as a general maxim) as it was then.
Don’t loot. Don’t rob. Don’t burgle. Don’t sell dope. Don’t kill rival dope peddlers. Don’t rape. Don’t extort. Don’t accept bribes. Don’t do dirty-dick schemes with foreign powers. Don’t burn stores. Don’t shoot at cops. Don’t try to stab cops. Don’t drink till you become a braying ass and decide to beat the snot out of the entire Police Precinct. Don’t molest children. Don’t behead your friends and neighbors. Don’t shoot up the local elementary school.
And on and on.
Pretty simple, really. Almost self-evident.
izlamo delenda est …
When a cop shoots a citizen, the only thing that matters is skin color. Because that’s how you stop racism. Or something.