When have you come the closest to shooting someone?

[Bailey Guns]

It was my very first day on patrol. First call of the day, before we (my training officer and I) even got the car loaded up.

Suicidal male. After a fight with his girlfriend, decided he wanted to die. Except, apparently he didn't have the stones to do it himself. So, he threatened her and she, naturally, called the cops.

We arrived at his house at about 0720 and were taking cover behind a car parked in front of the place. He was standing in a doorway with only the left half of his body visible. There was about 15 yards between him and us. His right side was hidden behind the wall he was leaning against. While we talked to him he occasionally moved a shotgun into view from where it was hidden on his right side that we couldn't see. Initially he just kept it pointed at the ground. He started getting a little agitated and was getting more agressive in moving the muzzle of the gun in our direction.

My FTO carried a Ruger P90. At one point I wondered why we hadn't shot the guy. I looked at my partner and noticed the hammer on his gun was about half way back, wavering slightly back and forth as he put pressure on the trigger. I had a S&W 645 and and started to pull the trigger as the guy lifted the muzzle towards us. If I'd had something like a Glock or a 1911, I would've shot him. But instead of firing he tossed the gun out the door. He came really close to getting shot...maybe getting killed.

That was only the first time. In 15 years, there were lots of times after that.

That same day...my first day on patrol, I had to perform CPR on a on a 35 year old guy during the 20 min ambulance ride to St Anthony's (volunteer fire department and not enough personnel available to answer the call). He had a heart attack at work. Then had to tell his wife and kids at the hospital he died. After that call, I went to an accident on I-70. Mom & 2 kids in a mini-van got side-swiped by a semi that lost it's brakes coming down hill. The mini-van rolled a couple of times. We were right under the overpass where this happened on our way to get lunch and start some reports. I got to hold mom as she held her 1 and 3 year daughters as they both died in her arms before rescue even got there.

When our 10 hour shift finally ended after almost 15 hours I really wondered if I'd made the right career decision.

[Irving]

When our 10 hour shift finally ended after almost 15 hours I really wondered if I'd made the right career decision.

Man that's some heavy stuff. I was just going to say that must have been one hell of a first day.

[Daniel_187]

I was walking with the my lady, cutting through an ally by safeway by the CU football field and a guy came walking up with a 3' piece of pipe and was waving it around and comeing at us and started asking if i know where some dude lived, While I was pushing my Wife away and moving further away I had my holster unsanpped and had on the grip ready to draw. then he asked for the time and I told him I don't have a watch on and to leave me alone. Then he left, Thats the only time I had a hand on my pistol ready to use it, it was a scarry time, but I told myself its me or him

[Tim K]

Shooting my AR at the south site about 10 years ago. I was back about 200 yards, and the place was deserted. I had a spotter placed about 50 yards forward and about 45° off to one side.

I had what I thought was a clear view of the entire field up to the target. I had fired about 3 shots and had the slack up on the trigger for number 4. The shot was milliseconds from breaking. My spotter started shouting "CEASE FIRE" in a somewhat panicked tone of voice. I relaxed my trigger finger just as a father and son motored through my line of fire on a small motorcycle. Had my spotter not warned me, I'd have hit one of them almost for certain.

It turns out there is a very shallow depression in that field that is just capable of hiding a rider. We walked through it, but didn't notice it when we were hanging the target. It was completely invisible from the shooting position.

That situation scared me so badly I didn't fire another shot for over a year. I had nightmares about killing one of those people for months after.

Every time I think about that day, I thank God I didn't kill anyone.

As you can imagine, I'm even more careful now, and I was almost paranoid careful before that incident. You just can't be too cautious.

[sniper7]

I don't have anything....just good memories of 2 bulls taken with a .50 cal muzzleloader, hundreds, if not thousands of p-dogs taken with anything from a .22 to a .243.
Hopefully I won't have a story, but i will be ready just in case.

[Irving]

I don't really have a story either. Although Daniel's story reminded me of something that happened just the other day. I had just brought home that .22 rifle my grandpa gave me, and got it out of my trunk to take it inside. So here I am walking through my parking lot with a bare rifle in my hand and these two shady dudes are standing by one of my neighbor's doors, leaning against the rail smoking. He looks at me and yells to me, "Hey man, do you know an Art around here?" Usually I'm a pretty talkative guy, but I just looked at him and said "Nope." I thought it was funny that I was open carrying a rifle at the time, but I guess I must not have looked very threatening with it.


Also, the other night I thought I heard an unusual noise shortly after I went to bed. I had forgotten that I had started my washer a few minutes before. I got my gun out of the safe, and was walking down the hall toward my daughter's room, with the gun pointed at the floor. The washer was right between cycles (you know when it completely stops and sits for a minute?) and right as I walked next to it, it kicked on and scared the crap out of me. I immediately thought how I was glad I was holding the gun with my finger down the slide like I was supposed to be, or else I might have shot my own foot off!

[Great-Kazoo]

bottom line is a second car pulled up and a voice said "i saw everything, would you like me to call the cops for you?"