quote:

Originally posted by Tonydec:
Due to the changing culture and perception of bias, the name 'Mozambique' drill was changed to 'Failure Drill' quite a few years ago.

As to this shooting, crazy. Had that deputy been limited to a 10 round magazine, the "hands on" techniques would have been interesting.

edit: Kssss beat me to it by seconds.

Do you know anywhere in the U.S. where LEO are restricted to 10 round magazines?

Where's the video? How about a link? We're all adults here, aren't we?

quote:

We're all adults here, aren't we?

^^^^^^^^^^^
Not so sure about that. But again your point is well taken. Just keep double masking with hose!

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Where's the video? How about a link? We're all adults here, aren't we?

https://www.thetruthaboutguns....-before-hes-stopped/

The commentary is actually quite funny

Thank you.

Hmmm, now I'm debating whether or not I should switch back to primarily carrying my Sig 229 instead of my .45 Shield.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Where's the video? How about a link? We're all adults here, aren't we?

https://www.thetruthaboutguns....-before-hes-stopped/

The commentary is actually quite funny

I found the commentary to be as trashy as the guy filming. He likes to see people get killed...then throws in his racist nonsense on top talking about "privilege"

He is as detestable as the guy who was causing the trouble with the police.

quote:

Originally posted by Tonydec:
...

As to this shooting, crazy. Had that deputy been limited to a 10 round magazine, the "hands on" techniques would have been interesting.
...

A 5, 7, 10 or 30 round magazine probably wouldn't have made any difference in this shooting.

A person can have anywhere from 7-30 seconds of conscious voluntary control after being shot through the heart.

The officer was scoring good hits into the major organs and vessels of the upper chest from the start (as close as I can tell), it just took that long for the guy to drop.

If he was a competition shooter with faster splits he could have gotten off 15-16 shots. A slower shooter maybe only 8-9. Suspect still would have dropped at the same point. Which is why you need to get good hits fast but keep moving and assessing (failure drill?, H2H?, keep moving/retreating?) until they are no longer a threat.

If you are missing the vital organs, yeah more ammo helps. If you are hitting them (but not the CNS-spine or brain) then it will just take a little time...

"The report also reflects how Costlow, a well-liked IT professional and skilled musician who had done work for or held positions at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, AARP and the National Student Clearinghouse, fell into what one family member termed a “psychotic break” in his final days.

He began saying things that made no sense, his wife told investigators. He heard voices, according to the report, spoke about the looming “dark times” and thought he was Jesus Christ.

His wife “believed her husband was truly a good person,” prosecutors wrote. “She felt her husband just needed help....”

Complete article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com...56b785b00_story.html

Maryland deputy who fired 12 rounds is cleared in fatal shooting of man wielding tree branch

By Dan Morse
June 28, 2021 at 4:59 p.m. CDT

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy who fired 12 shots at a man who attacked him with a tree branch will not be charged in the man’s death, Maryland prosecutors reported Monday.

Sgt. Frank Pruitt, according to prosecutors, took legal actions against Kevin Costlow, 52, the morning of Feb. 6 along a roadway in Montgomery County. The two had squared off after the deputy responded to a radio call about a motorist — Costlow — who had caused two crashes before getting out of his car and trying to attack people at the scene with what initially was reported to be a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Video of the encounter taken by two bystanders showed the deputy — his gun drawn — backing away as Costlow walked forward, lifted the branch above his head and slammed it down several times on the deputy’s head and shoulder.

Ten of Pruitt’s rounds hit Costlow’s torso, according to a report prosecutors released that details the reasons Pruitt will not be charged.

“Although in some cases this could be viewed as excessive, based on the video evidence, it is clear Costlow did not stop advancing towards Pruitt until the last shot was fired,” prosecutors wrote. “Once Costlow collapsed to the ground, Pruitt no longer continued to shoot.”

Family members of Costlow, a retired information technology executive, have questioned why the encounter unfolded as it did.

“Kevin Costlow was a responsible and respected family man and business leader,” their attorney, Timothy Maloney, said in a statement. “He lived an exceptional life without any violence or criminality of any kind. This is what makes the tragic events of February 6 so inexplicable to his family.”

Prosecutors said they reached their conclusions based on the two civilian videos, statements from 13 witnesses at the scene and an interview with Pruitt.

The branch Costlow used — 2 or 3 inches thick and 4 to 5 feet long — had apparently been pulled from his car. According to one of the videos, recorded 10 feet from the fatal encounter, Costlow twice slammed the branch on Pruitt’s head and shoulder, causing the branch to snap in half. Pruitt retreated and did not shoot.

As Costlow raised the branch a third time and slammed it down toward Pruitt, the deputy began shooting. By the third gunshot, according to the video, the branch had fallen out of Costlow’s hand. But with Costlow continuing to advance, prosecutors concluded, the deputy reasonably viewed him as a continuing threat — particularly if he obtained Pruitt’s service weapon.

“Throughout this incident,” prosecutors concluded, “Costlow exhibited behavior that presented a potential for imminent danger to both Pruitt and others at the scene.”

Earlier coverage: Civilian video recorded the shooting

At the time, Pruitt was an 18-year veteran of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, an agency principally involved in courthouse security, serving warrants and legal papers, and helping with evictions. He has been on administrative leave since the shooting.

The encounter was not recorded by his body camera. Pruitt told investigators that he pressed the button to activate it. For reasons not clear, though, it never turned on. Before pulling out his gun, Pruitt tried to use his Taser, but the electronic prongs that were fired apparently did not stick to Costlow. Autopsy results showed that Costlow had no alcohol or drugs in his system.

The 12-page report was written by prosecutors in Howard County, just north of Montgomery, as part of a standing agreement between the counties to review each other’s police shootings. The arrangement is designed to avoid conflicts of interest as police and prosecutors from the same jurisdiction work closely together on other criminal cases.

The report also reflects how Costlow, a well-liked IT professional and skilled musician who had done work for or held positions at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, AARP and the National Student Clearinghouse, fell into what one family member termed a “psychotic break” in his final days.

He began saying things that made no sense, his wife told investigators. He heard voices, according to the report, spoke about the looming “dark times” and thought he was Jesus Christ.

His wife “believed her husband was truly a good person,” prosecutors wrote. “She felt her husband just needed help.”

The night before he died, according to the report, his wife saw him on their floor, screaming, “They’re are going to crucify me!”

By 8 a.m. Feb. 6, Costlow was behind the wheel of his car, speeding south on Route 108 from Laytonsville toward Olney. He veered into the oncoming lane, forcing the driver of a Ford Explorer off the road and into a telephone pole, before striking a silver minivan head-on, police said. None of the drivers were seriously injured. Costlow climbed out the passenger side window of his damaged car and approached the Explorer driver while holding a piece of wood, prosecutors said.

When another driver pulled up and asked Costlow if he was okay, Costlow replied: “Where am I at? England?” He then started throwing punches at the man, according to prosecutors.

By then, 911 calls dispatched officers to the two crashes and reported a man in an “altered state” and armed with a baseball bat, according to the prosecutors’ report.

Pruitt responded and a motorist who had been attacked told the deputy to be careful.

Pruitt approached, asking Costlow if he needed help. Costlow rushed at Pruitt, knocking off his mask and hat, according to prosecutors. The deputy pushed Costlow away, ordered him to keep his hands up and tried to use the Taser, prosecutors said. At that point, according to the report, Pruitt drew his gun and ordered Costlow to get down. Instead, Costlow advanced toward him with the stick raised above his head.

“He’s losing his mind,” Pruitt could be heard saying into his radio, following 24 seconds later with: “I need help!”

Pruitt said he was trying not to “shoot this guy,” according to radio recordings reviewed by the prosecutors. Sixteen seconds later came Pruitt’s voice again: “Shots fired! Shots fired!”

Later, when speaking with investigators, Pruitt said he heard Costlow “growling” during the encounter and that he wasn’t using any coherent words, according to the report.

Pruitt also said that as he was shooting, he thought to himself, “Why is he still coming?” the report states.

“The most helpful pieces of evidence are clearly the two civilian videos,” prosecutors wrote. “Throughout the videos, Pruitt’s behavior is defensive in nature. . . . Pruitt is clearly attempting to do what he can to de-escalate the situation before firing his weapon.”

Prosecutors also said witnesses described Costlow as “amped up,” “aggressive,” “angry” and “screaming like a lunatic.” One witness said he appeared to have “violent intent.”

Costlow’s interactions with several of the witnesses “helps to explain what Deputy Pruitt was faced with before ultimately deciding to shoot Costlow,” prosecutors reported.

The prosecutors said that in analyzing whether a police officer can legally use deadly force, current law requires that an officer had reason to believe he faced a significant threat of death or serious bodily injury. Judging whether the decision was reasonable, prosecutors said, “must embody an allowance for the fact that officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a given situation.”

“It is clear that Costlow armed himself with an object [tree branch] that could have caused serious physical injury to Deputy Pruitt or any of the civilians at the scene,” prosecutors added. “Furthermore, Costlow was using this object to strike Pruitt around his face and head in a very aggressive way. To protect himself from serious injury and to keep himself from being knocked to the ground and potentially losing control of his service weapon, Pruitt made the decision to shoot Costlow.”

The official report has a few more details, but I did not see the model of gun or the caliber:

https://www.montgomerycountymd...ebruary2021Event.pdf

I too taught the failure drill often and also addressed targeting the pelvic girdle, especially at contact distances. But handguns shots can be ineffective, even shots to the head.
Example:
During WWI, The German fighter ace, Manfred Von Richtofen took what was believed to a .303 round to the noggin. Rang his bell but did not kill him.

He gave that psycho plenty of chances to stay alive.

He chose none of them.

He absolutely would have killed the Deputy if he had got his hands on him.

Yeah, that’s batshit crazy in that video. The wide eyes kinda tells it. Too bad we don’t have the nuthatch to put these people in anymore. If anyone needed it, he did.

quote:

Originally posted by Cous2492:
I found the commentary to be as trashy as the guy filming. He likes to see people get killed...then throws in his racist nonsense on top talking about "privilege"

He is as detestable as the guy who was causing the trouble with the police.

I dunno. I think if he was racist, he would have had zero compunction about belching some choice slurs. I was rooting for the deputy, too, and I’m not above saying “shoot his ass.” If someone’s attacking a law enforcement officer with potentially lethal force, I’m hoping they get deaded. Never did the man filming say a thing about race. I’m not a fan of black racists, but I think you’re seeing something that isn’t there.

I counted all 12 shots. In the last moments the officer put 5 or 6 shots in the center of the chest.

JMO - the officer did a good job and shooting center was effective.

I wonder if they can look at the brain after he was dead. Tumors and other things can cause someone's behavior to drastically change.

Would like to know what caused this guy who from the outside seemed to have a normal life and no past criminal behavior to go so far to the other end of the spectruim.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Shooting at the body then the head was dubbed the “Mozambique” for some reason.

According to Wikipedia:

quote:

According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964–1974). (snip) Rousseau related the story to an acquaintance, small arms expert Jeff Cooper, founder of the Gunsite Academy shooting school, who incorporated the "Mozambique Drill" into his modern technique shooting method.

This does agree with what I had been told years ago.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
In the last moments the officer put 5 or 6 shots in the center of the chest.

You think that many? Can't really tell from the video, especially when the A pillar is in the way, but you can only see one, maybe two good hits for sure?


(the play by play was spot on lol)

The family said he was like that (acting loony) the last day or so but nobody called for help?

My best friend was a cop in Montgomery Co., Maryland some years ago. He was not impressed with the area and moved back to Texas, where is is still a LEO.

flashguy