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Things I did right: I was aware there was something weird going on in the store and was reaching for my gun already when the guy reached the back
My body reacted just as it would at the range, a total disconnect from emotion just doing what needed to be done
Things I did wrong: I shoot target so I responded just as would shooting target, I took careful aim and would not have missed and would have had exellent grouping
(he could have shot me several times in that period and who cares about grouping in a real situation)
I kept my firearem in it's shoulder holster wrapped up in it's straps. ( Not as accesible as it should have been)
I didn't train using a safety (train with the same conditions you'd have in real situation)
I shoot standing on edge which takes longer to get a sight picture, not full front arms extended.
Overall I'm happy with my attitude and preformance during the situation, but I'm really going to work on preparedness and training.
I hope the hell I am never in that situation again nor any of you and I am only mildly dissatisfied with the results of this time.
The perfect senario would have been for him to run into the waiting arms of the police.
Actually killing him would have had the unfortunate consequences of closing my buisness for weeks and destroying me
financially if not also mentally. (not that it would have stopped me)
I was lucky, and the real reason that I'm not dead now is that he wasn't prepared the way that I was to actually shoot.
He was lucky, I was not properly prepared for the situation.
We are both lucky that no one was hurt (physically anyway, all of us are a little screwed up mentally and one of the girls pretty bad)
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Hey Tzadik, don't beat your self up too badly. You were prepared to survive a life or death battle. Your mental preparation should carry you through the aftermath. It is never a good situation when employees are being herded into another area. This guy may have been part of the team that has been hitting stores all around the area. Did you see an accomplice? These guys are only going to get bolder, eventually shooting somebody. You may have shown this one the error of his ways.
Keep your weapon ON YOU ALL THE TIME!
Every day when I take off mine, I automatically snap off the safety as it comes out of the holster. Then I wait a few moments and re-engage the safety. This pause will keep my from re-engaging the safety after I release it in a stress encounter.
Remember you fight like you train.
Congratulations for surviving. I doubt the BG will return but be ready, now he knows your defenses.
Get a comfortable holster you can conceal like a crossbreed supertuck. Keep your main battle weapon on your person. Don't confuse yourself with two different weapons, or assume a lesser weapon is acceptable when you are away from your desk.
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Welcome to the forum, Tzadik. Glad to have you. I for one am glad you were able to resolve the situation. You know what could have gone better, and what could have gone worse if you weren't so lucky. The only way I could fault you at this point would be if you're not willing to learn good lessons from your experience. But as it seems you are willing, I've got nothing but praise for you right now. Way to take care of business.
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The whole safety thing is something I've worried about with my wife. She always leaves the safety on and every single time we go to the range, she aims and pulls the trigger and it doesn't fire. Then she realizes the safety is on. I've told her there is no point in leaving the safety on since she doesn't keep it chambered anyway. I'll convey this story to her when I get home.
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TZ: Lessons learned. Give yourself a break and thank God you are still here to talk about it. Lessons learned. You are unlike many here, including myself. You have faced a life and death situation where concealed carry could have ended a life. Unfortunately at the time due to NOT carrying, it could have been yours. Fortunately now, it wasn't. You have a real life scenario to build your training up from, and not a bunch of scenarios that many of us read about and ponder on before making a quick, sometimes, ignorant reply to. You survived brother. Lessons learned.
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No accomplice visable during my incident, but I found out this morning a different guy robbed the
store 2 doors down from us Sunday and it was a bit more scary scenario.
We just moved to this location last week. :(
I've heard about the 2 man string that has been happening in the area and have watched some of the survailence
vids, but it's not the same guys.
Not beating myself up too much, tough lessons are the ones learned.
Went to the range Sat and Sun... best therapy on the planet.
Trying to get the sales girls to go with me. Hoping it will help them cope too.
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There was a shootout in a Richmond jewelry store several years ago, the owner had placed guns every few feet around the horseshoe configured display cases. They used most of them and many bullets were expended. Read Massad Ayoob's review here:
Lead and diamonds: the Richmond jewelry store shootout - The Ayoob Files | American Handgunner | Find Articles at BNET
It could be worse, you could be this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkWgp2abM2w
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Had you shot him, his momma be oning you stow!
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Update:
They've caught someone who has been commiting a string of robberies here and they think it's him.
During an interview they asked him what he was thinking when the guy (I) pulled a gun on him and
he responded " I b.... I'm not going to say anything about that"
I don't know what he was going to say, but it's good money he was the one.
