Nine bystanders injured by NYPD during shooting – Mayor & police commissioner reaction

As I’m certain you’ve heard, two are dead, multiple people were injured and some shot after a disgruntled former employee killed a co-worker in New York City and walked away. Two police officers were notified and followed. The man drew his weapon, turned it towards the two officers and they responded with 14 rounds, some of which hit the target and killed him.

[I’ve buried the led on this story … please keep reading through the point of my post at the end. I just needed to provide some background.]

Unfortunately, other rounds missed – or passed through the man’s body – and continued on to injure nine bystanders. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly mentioned, with my emphasis.

“These officers … had absolutely no choice,” Kelly said. “This individual took a gun out very close to them and perhaps fired at them.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted

New York City, as you know, is the safest big city in the country, and we are on pace to have a record low number of murders this year, but we are not immune to the national problem of gun violence.

For some reason, Bloomberg is fixated on the “gun” part of the violence. Violence is violence, and I have one question for Bloomberg. If this guy used a large hunting knife – which from within close-quarters could have easily killed Steven Ercolino with one or two strikes –  and then turned on officers and charged with that knife, would Bloomberg had mentioned the national problem of knife violence? Doubt it.

I want to point out here that neither of Bloomberg’s proposed gun control measures – bringing back the assault weapon ban and eliminating the private sale of firearms – would not have stopped this shooting.

In an article in January, I wrote about the proposed 10 round magazine capacity limit and how 10 rounds may not be enough in a self-defense situation.

In stressful shooting situations, most studies show “hit rates” of less than 50 percent. A New York Times article from Dec. 2007 noted the hit rate for law enforcement in the city was 17.4 percent in 2005 and 28.3 percent in 2006. Los Angeles law enforcement shot placement was better than New York’s in 2006, with a 40 percent hit rate. Keep in mind these are law enforcement officers, who partake in regular training.

Sixteen rounds were fired by law enforcement on Friday morning, but we do not yet know what the hit rate was. Any speculation is just speculation, but onward to …

… the point of this post

Imagine if two private citizens were walking in New York city and this guy turned and pointed a gun at them, would the private citizens – who quickly pulled their own weapons and dispatched this zero after shooting 16 rounds – be in jail? Maybe yes, maybe no, but hasn’t the anti-gun crowd been complaining that more guns would cause innocent bystanders to be shot and “caught in the crossfire?”

That’s one of the primary complaints when the anti-gun crowd (anti-self defense crowd) mention self-defense in public places … innocent bystanders. What’s the difference between private citizens defending themselves and the police in this type of situation?

Kelly specifically stated police had absolutely no choice but to fire. Bloomberg assumedly feels the same way. What would their opinion be if private citizens shot this attacker and innocent bystanders were shot?

https://youtu.be/jmrlzsj94Js

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

9 Comments

  1. joe_m on August 26, 2012 at 11:30 am

    Expecting honesty from politicians with an agenda? Expecting honesty from politicians at all?

    It will never happen. Facts and reality just get in the way.

    An armed citizenry is the only thing standing between us and complete control by government. They?know it and will do everything they can to eliminate it?under the?guise of “our own good”.??



    • stinkfoot on August 26, 2012 at 1:20 pm

      Precisely.



  2. JBS on August 27, 2012 at 6:57 am

    Steve, your hypothetical civilian would be sued by legions of tort lawyers. Your proposed hero civilian would go down under a welter of subpenas. Lawsuits are sure to come, though.
    ?
    There is no excuse for this violence. It is terrible and I condemn it. The officers may or may not have done everything they could do to contain the situation. No one can second guess that now. Kelly has to back them. That may come out in the subsequent investigation.
    ?
    The one thing that is clear is that another emotionally charged situation, involving firearms and loss of life, has brought out the politicians. Nanny B and his anti-gun agenda. He is really playing to the gun banner crowd and the LSM. Every time he or his cronies bleat their trite lines, gun sales increase. (!) Strangely silent about the FRC shootings?
    ?
    None of this does our side any good. I was hoping we had run out our loonies. Friday, Limbaugh laid the root causes for the NYC shootings at Obama’s feet. Nice try, no traction there.
    ?
    ?



    • phil on August 27, 2012 at 8:23 am

      “…..Limbaugh laid the root causes for the NYC shootings at Obama?s feet….” ? At least it wasn’t Bush’s fault!



    • JBS on August 27, 2012 at 10:20 am

      Personal opinion: RL did it to forestall the Democrat/liberal/Progressives from jumping out with the, Bush did it!, the Tea Party did it!, he was a conservative!, it’s a message from the right! hysterical garbage that the Left trots out during a horrible event like any shooting is.
      ?
      This loony had his personal problems; that he couldn’t find another job in New York, in this horrible economy, designing women’s fashion accessories (where else is that a job? Milan? China? Paris? ??) begs the question for the architect of this long national nightmare. This loon didn’t go gently into that good night.
      ?
      Sad.



  3. Tim-in-Alabama on August 27, 2012 at 9:23 am

    I think the GLBLT angle to this shooting should be investigated.



  4. gillie28 on August 27, 2012 at 11:10 am

    That’s what comes when Bloomberg deprives?New Yorkers?of their large, caffeine drinks and sugardonuts…the policemen’s?hands were probably shaking from withdrawal symptoms.?



  5. Benjamin Less on August 28, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    This is a non-issue.? Police were being informed by a construction worker that a “possible” shooter was escaping while officers trailed close behind during their initial I.D.? It’s the most congested area of NYC at peak morning hours.
    ?
    Shooter turns blindly pulling a weapon.? No cover for the police.? They are not aware if they “suspect” has body armor.? The two police officers do not have protective body armor and zero cover as the shooter turns on them with his 45 ACP.
    ?
    The police fire, they follow through with their shots as the “suspect” starts to stumble and become subdued by fire.? As the “suspect” falls forward the police continue fire to the legs, body and head [remember police not aware if body armor is incorporated].? These shots are followed through and some ricochet off concrete sidewalks and buildings rendering fragment and fragmented slugs to hit dense population of public surrounding scene.?
    ?
    You have zero ability to know what you’re up against especially when a shooter draws blindly on you without warning.? The police did nothing wrong.



    • phil on August 30, 2012 at 9:37 am

      Other than overreact big time.? Perp is falling, time to stop firing at bystanders!



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