Christmas time is here...

Merry Christmas all!!!! It is 7:30 am on Christmas Eve and I am getting ready to leave and go Christmas shopping for my wife. I know, I know, nothing like waiting til the very last minute. However, I have some very good excuses. I've been working my tail off the last few weeks to make enough money to pay for Christmas, and I haven't had the time to get out and get stuff. Also, I just got paid, and I find that store owners are much more inclined to allow you to leave their establishment after you actually pay for the item as opposed to just taking it. Finally, as some of you may have heard, I was involved in a shooting the other day while on duty. I'm fine but the bad guy wasn't so lucky, or maybe he was. He's still alive, but he's paralyzed in his right leg. Lesson learned? Don't bring a B.B. gun to a gun fight with the police who have REAL guns!!!

Anyway, I've been a bit busy with all that. So, now I've finally got some free time and I'm going to go get my better half some things she needs and wants. I love her very much, and she deserves the best. She's already done the shopping for me and Winston. She also made a bunch of homemade apple butter that I took into work on Sunday night and gave out to my fellow employees. She's become very resourceful lately, and has really gotten into this whole green thing. She has also really gotten into trying to learn how to make homemade canning items like jams, apple butter, dried fruits, etc.... I really like it. The food taste sooooo much better than what you would buy at the store. Maybe it's all the love she puts into each item.

Well as I said I was involved in a shooting. I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of what occurred. While working on Sunday night into Monday morning we had a armed robbery call come out at about 1:30 a.m. As they kept updating the call it turned out it was a home invasion where the suspect, who was armed with a gun, kidnapped one of the victims, and stole his car too (carjacking). They gave a lookout of the vehicle, and I headed over to crack town to see if I could find the car in the hood.

At about 1:46 a.m. I found the truck coming out of the hood. It turned right in front of me. I attempted to pull the truck over but the bad guy had other plans, and the chase was on. I chased him down the road, then into a subdivision. He finally bailed out and turned toward me. I saw that he was wearing all black, had a mask on his face, and gloves on. I thought he was going to start shooting me before I could get out of the car. That really pissed me off, because I felt totally helpless, and vulnerable. However, chuckle head decided to run for it. One of his many mistakes that night.

I had already determined that if he confronted me or ran I would shoot him. For those of you not familiar with policing this is called "the fleeing felon rule". What this means is that if someone commits a violent felony (murder, rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, etc...) then we as police officers have the right/obligation to use deadly force to stop the individual if they run because they pose a significant danger to the rest of the general public, and there is a likelihood he could harm others if not stopped.

Anyway, he turned and ran. As he did so I got out of my car yelled for him to stop, he didn't comply with my orders and continued to run. I then fired two shots. They were high and over his head (not on purpose, just poor aim). I then thought "calm down, relax, breath, and aim". I aimed at the only part of him I could see, his white underwear sticking up, and fired. Apparently I was right on target. The guy dropped right where he stood. My bullet slammed into his lower back on the right side. It smashed his L3 vertebrae, severed some nerves, and tore into his femoral artery. Fortunately for him the bullet stopped in his artery. By doing so it plugged it up and kept him from bleeding to death on scene.

At his feet was what appeared to be a large frame Colt .45 pistol. Closer examination found it to be a B.B. gun. On his belt he had a large Ka-Bar style fighting knife. He was also wearing white latex gloves, the bandanna as a mask, and all black. He had tied six people up at the victim's house, and kidnapped one. He will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison, and if he does ever get out he won't be running from the police again. I was told he currently has some movement in his left leg, but his right leg is paralyzed.

I've retold the story about a hundred times so far. Believe it or not it helps to talk about it. I was really shaken up the night it happened. I've been a cop for almost ten years and have never shot anyone, much less shoot at anyone. It is a flood of emotions, and a huge adrenaline dump. I couldn't sleep until about 8:00 p.m. later that night. It was all very surreal. I think I'm OK now, and I feel that without a doubt I did the right thing. I also think that if confronted with the same situation again I would do the same thing. As a police officer I know that there is always a chance I may have to use my weapon. That's why we have them. And on any day and at any time you be called to use deadly force. You just aren't ready when it actually happens. It was only few days from Christmas, and all I was thinking was that I had one more night to work before I would be off for three days to spend Christmas with my family. It never crossed my mind that I would shoot someone that night.

Well that is my story. If any of you have any questions feel free to ask. Me and my wife are fine. Winston thinks it's cool which the psychiatrist said was normal. Just know that me and my fellow officers are out there during all hours every day making you safe from the evil that lurks around the corner. ---- Focker out.