Shoot/Dont Shoot Scenario 1

W

Wildalaska

Moderator
You are leaving the shopping mall during the holiday season. It is 8 pm, dark and lightly snowing. You are with your wife/partner about 15 feet from the entrance. Your wife/partner is on the left. You have packages in your hand. You have your CCW. To your left, about 5 feet away, is a walkway bordered by tree/shrubs in a elevated garden with the garden wall being 12 inches high made of concrete. To your right is a teenage boy, walking hand in hand with a girl. The parking lot is crowded with shoppers. The roadway is 20 feet away. A car pulls up diagonal to your right and a young man jumps out, screams the "streets are mine" and begins running towards the teenager next to you, pulling out a gun. He fires a shot, then another and the teenager falls. the girl starts screaming, and the gunman grabs her by the arm and starts dragging her to the car with his left hand, he is turned away from you as is his gun hand and he is moving to your right diagonally...nevertheless he starts watching you as he grabs the struggling girl.

What do you do?

WildiamreadingthehistoryofnewgateverycoolAlaska TM
 
I think I know what I'd do, but I'll have to honestly say that I'll let you know after it happens exactly like that. Otherwise, it's only a hypothesis at this point in time.

I know. Party pooper!

Is it getting too cold up there, Ken?
 
Are you serious? I think we know you better than that. ;)

Just in case you are serious...
The young man has already shot someone and endangered many lives. He is grabbing this girl and will probably kill her if no one intervenes. You could just sit back and worry about you and yours, or you could do something. The question is what would that "something" be?

I don't know about the legalities of shooting someone in the back, even though he is in the process of taking someone against their will. If you yell for him to stop, he may shoot at you or even use the girl as a shield. If you use you use your car to block his (assuming you can do so quickly enough), you will most probably get into a gun fight or he just might kill the girl.

I would probably draw my weapon and get as close as possible while remaining undetected. I would then make sure I have a good sight picture on him and yell for him to stop. Any actions other than dropping the weapon will result in shots fired. Of course you try to reduce collateral damage by not shooting into crowds of people.
 
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...jump into a telephone booth...wait, there are no more telephone booths...

First, do no harm. Drop the packages, push the wife out of harm's way, seek cover. Perhaps, clear the coat and safety snap.

As you may remember, we had a thread on our obligation to society. The way the vote went was that society can go hang itself.

Frankly, my focus would be to grab the wife and make a fast exit. I don't know these people. Maybe they had it coming.
 
He's watching me even though his back is turned and his gun hand isn't facing me??? I get really scared and defecate in my pants because this guy is possessed (remember the Exorcist???).

Before I even try to hypothesize about what I'd do I need to ask everyone if it's "reasonable" to say that I just witnessed a murder (or serious aggravated assault) and am witnessing a kidnapping in progress.

What else could it be BUT that??
 
Hold fire. The skell is holding a "hostage", possibly in line of fire. Go low, get partner low as well. Get behind a wheel or engine of a car. Use cell phone & call 911. Never take eyes off the perp, you may have to provide a good discription to the Police when they arrive, or he may try to come for you. Look out for his friends. Your first obligation is to yourself and yours. The trick is to come home alive at the end of the day.
just my opinion, you paid me exactly what it's worth.
 
WA,
Not like you to post complicated scenarios and ask for a specific answer.
Are you doing a social experiment up there? 8595 posts, and this seems like you're trying for the 8600 mark.
 
I agree with several others. First make sure wife/partner etc is safe, try to get cover I think by that time everything will be over. One other thing to think about is every story around here hires off duty cops for extra security and there is a noticeable PD presence in the mall/shopping center parking lots. Where I am going is they are all coming running at the sounds of shots, etc. I really don't know if I want to be the first one they see with a gun. It would be my luck to get shot by the cops.
 
Drop the packages, push the wife into the line of fire and use her for cover while I draw my weapon. After the bad guy has expended all his ammunition into the late Mrs. ATW525, I calmly take him out with a shot to the brain box. Being recently widowed, I invite the girl out to dinner and dial 911 on the way to the restaurant in order to apologize for the mess.
 
Is shoot the hostage the wrong answer? :D

Seriously, I would push the wife down or behind the wall and proceed to take the bad guy out or die trying. There is no way I let them take the girl without a fight.
Whether he is facing me or not does not matter in this case since he is still committing a felony that justifies me using the firearm.
 
I agree with the poster above. If I were to witness something like that go down right in front of me, I would do everything in my power to stop it. But my perspective might be slightly different than others on this board, as I am "a young whipper-snapper", and am not married. I'm sure that having a wife or loved one there would change things, but i'd still like to think that I would do everything possible to stop the situation.

I know i've watched too many movies, but I prefer to live by the saying; " All that it takes for evil to prosper, is the indifference of good men."
 
Use the store pacakges as a shield, drawe the .50 out and go to town on that guy. Hope the wife doesnt get hit....


In all reality, wasnt this a college thing? Kids playing games?
 
Just turn the wife loose on the poor s o b he doesn't stand a chance, she would be so P.O.ed that her shopping plans were interupted that she would take him down to a greasy spot.
 
Is shoot the hostage the wrong answer?
Click to expand...


Not according to Keanu Reeves in the first Speed movie! :D

Hold fire. Get to cover, probably draw weapon to low ready or at least have it in hand. Get wife on phone and get yourself a description of the dude and the get away car. Give statement when police come, and resume shopping. Justify this return to normal operations with the fact that the teenager shot probably had his hands in something "bad" or "immoral" if some thug is going to come shoot him at a mall and steal his woman... ;) No concern of mine.
 
"I don't know about the legalities of shooting someone in the back..."


shoot him in the back, then roll him over and shoot him in the front...
 
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