Possible School Shooting Scenario

[AndersonIN]

Did not mean to have this title "Possible School Shooting...." It just popped up that way sorry!!

Was sitting in the car waiting to pick up the kids and this scenario came to mind.

I always park in a public lot across the street from the high school just for kicks and giggles (I know I can pull in for pick up and drop off!). Groups of kids gather on the grounds and corners to BS before heading home. But my thought was this…….What if a BG started shooting that was ON THE SCHOOL PROPERTY? If necessary do you engage the individual on school property? Any ideas or thoughts about legal ramifications that might crop up as I'm sure I would in an attempt to prevent further harm. But should you first request them to please take the weapon off of the school property and THEN shoot them? Haven’t really seen this issue discussed on the forum that I know of. If it has been please just delete this post and go about your business…………. nothing to see here!

 

[BlueEagle]

Hmm. That is an interesting question; I would think it would depend on the outcome. If you are absolutely confident that you can hit him without hitting any of the children he is firing upon, I would do it. If however there is a risk of hitting kids....thats cutting it awfully close, and you'd be demonized even if you did get him if you accidentally hit a kid.

 

[techres]

Close fast.
Engage when you can safely take the shot.
Save as many lives as you can.

This is the rule for any active shooter situation be it a school, store, or other location.

Keep in mind a few things though:

You will look like the shooter and may get engaged by police so be ready to stop as soon as they are on scene.
Your car can close faster than your feet can, and it can also take a shot just like your firearm can.
Your job is to save life, not be a hero. They coincide, but are not one and the same.
Finally, pray that you never have the need to take action but have the training to do so if needed. I.E. TAKE TRAINING COURSES.

 

[Jack Burton]

Legally falls under the doctrine of necessity.

 

[LoneWolf2554]

This is one of those things that we put in the "Total Nightmare" file. You would think that if you stopped the BG but were taken to trial, that a jury would be smart enough to understand why you did what you had to do.
I'm still new at CC, but as a teacher I think it would be well worth losing my LTCH if I had to shoot/kill a BG to stop a possible massacre on school grounds.

 

[Bill of Rights]

Did not mean to have this title "Possible School Shooting...." It just popped up that way sorry!!

Was sitting in the car waiting to pick up the kids and this scenario came to mind.

I always park in a public lot across the street from the high school just for kicks and giggles (I know I can pull in for pick up and drop off!). Groups of kids gather on the grounds and corners to BS before heading home. But my thought was this…….What if a BG started shooting that was ON THE SCHOOL PROPERTY? If necessary do you engage the individual on school property? Any ideas or thoughts about legal ramifications that might crop up as I'm sure I would in an attempt to prevent further harm. But should you first request them to please take the weapon off of the school property and THEN shoot them? Haven’t really seen this issue discussed on the forum that I know of. If it has been please just delete this post and go about your business…………. nothing to see here!

IC 35-41-3-1
Legal authority
Sec. 1. A person is justified in engaging in conduct otherwise prohibited if he has legal authority to do so.
As added by Acts 1976, P.L.148, SEC.1. Amended by Acts 1977, P.L.340, SEC.7.

IC 35-41-3-2
Use of force to protect person or property
Sec. 2. (a) A person is justified in using reasonable force against another person to protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person:
(1) is justified in using deadly force; and
(2) does not have a duty to retreat;
if the person reasonably believes that that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the person or a third person or the commission of a forcible felony. No person in this state shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting the person or a third person by reasonable means necessary.
...

I am not a lawyer. That said, the law seems to me to read, "Do what you have to do to save lives."

If you drive your car over and hit the BG, sending him flying into the side of the building like one of the felines in the "Cat-a-pult" game, you'd be completely legal in doing so. Under the same 35-41-3-1 exception, I think you would also be good to go to enter the campus armed on foot in an effort to stop the carnage. As advised upthread, though, keep your ears open for LEOs and be ready to drop your gun and cooperate with them. We recently had a thread where one of our officers advised that LE encountering an armed citizen in such circumstances would go badly for the citizen until all was sorted out (to which I add, the sorting out would be difficult and slow to accomplish, given those circumstances.)

Again, though, do what you must to save lives. God willing, none of us will ever be in a situation to put this to the test.

Blessings,
Bill