So your gunshot incapacitated the perp, now what?

[EvilBlackGun]

Assume you are in the docket:

What are you prepared to tell the D.A. judge and jury about your response, being as how you were the First Responder? Did you take any oath before being sworn in "... so help me God"?

<snip> since I am a medical professional am I legally obligated to offer help? Or can I safely wait for medics?

 

[John Galt]

Scenario: you shoot (or stab) a bad guy doing bad things. He drops his weapon and clearly is not in fighting shape. Do you render first aid?

would it look bad to the jury if you didn't attempt to help?

Based on this scenario:
The bad guy initiated a bad thing with a weapon. Since I now have the advantage after HE initiated a potentially deadly assault (he had a weapon) against me, I obviously can't trust him to NOT have another weapon (one is none, two is one), I have NO idea how determined he is to not go to prison for this assault, and I am not a trained medic, I feel that I am only obligated to dial 911 and then I'm keeping my distance, while keeping an eye on him and for anything else. My #1 obligation is to come home safely to my family.
Besides, if the Supreme Court has ruled that police do not have an obligation to protect innocent people - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html?_r=1,
what obligation, other than a moral obligation of initiating a call for professional help, do I legally have?

 

[wolfts01]

You ease his passage into the next life...

But really, I would do nothing to help him whatsoever. I'm no EMT, and if I shot him once then I shot him 8 times, reloaded, and possibly another 8 times if he was still being bad.

If he has only minor injuries after yielding and was not committing a really bad crime I may lend a band-aid. If he's an evil heartless SOB I might do my first suggestion...

 

[gunman41mag]

I would kick him in the NUTS & take his wallet

 

[T-Mann]

So you are saying it is much better to state that you meant to maim them...

No, I'm saying it is much better to say that the only reason I used lethal force was to stop the threat against my family or myself. It is not my intent to maim or kill anyone, my only intent is to stop the threat.

 

[hoosierdoc]

No, I'm saying it is much better to say that the only reason I used lethal force was to stop the threat against my family or myself. It is not my intent to maim or kill anyone, my only intent is to stop the threat.

A warning shot may do that too. Does someone want to develop a sand barrel that can be rotated to cover the barrel and mounts on a picatinny rail system? That would let us safely fire a warning shot but may affect the balance of the gun a bit...

 

[lrahm]

Never a warning shot. What goes up must come down.

 

[jeremy]

No, I'm saying it is much better to say that the only reason I used lethal force was to stop the threat against my family or myself. It is not my intent to maim or kill anyone, my only intent is to stop the threat.

How exactly do you intend to stop the threat?!

If not by shooting to kill the person whom is the threat...

 

[wizard_of_ahs]

I'm not touching a BG for any reason. If I had to shoot him then it was to save my life or someone elses, he wouldn't stay and me.

Shoot to kill, problem solved.

Dead men tell no tales

 

[ATM]

How exactly do you intend to stop the threat?!

If not by shooting to kill the person whom is the threat...

Just by shooting the person until they are no longer a threat.

Most shots don't kill.

Many will result in death if not treated, but heck, that describes many diseases as well.

 

[lrahm]

Not calling for help and giving aid (when it is safe) makes us no better than them. Be safe, call for help, don't approach, give the police a good description of you, tell them to send an ambulance.

 

[Sylvain]

Not calling for help and giving aid (when it is safe) makes us no better than them. Be safe, call for help, don't approach, give the police a good description of you, tell them to send an ambulance.

+1

Well said.

 

[Rip007]

I feel I'm better than the BG, I did not break into his home and or threaten him or his family. I would not attempt any first aid. If possible I would remove my family from the situation and call 911.

 

[gunman41mag]

What happens if you try to dial 911, but you mark the wrong number

 

[JoshuaRWhite]

I got news for you. If I have to defend myself there won't be an incapacitated perp. More than one round will be leaving the barrel of my .45 ACP.

 

[JoshuaRWhite]

Not calling for help and giving aid (when it is safe) makes us no better than them. Be safe, call for help, don't approach, give the police a good description of you, tell them to send an ambulance.

Strong words from someone who will most likely always have back-up. And hell even if I have back-up, f**k the perp. Scum gets what is coming to them at some point,

 

[lrahm]

Strong words from someone who will most likely always have back-up. And hell even if I have back-up, f**k the perp. Scum gets what is coming to them at some point,

If you have a cell phone, then you have a "back-up". Reaction should not be too much different than mine when you explain that you have shot someone. I will stand by my words that you will be no better if you do anything different.

 

[lrahm]

Strong words from someone who will most likely always have back-up. And hell even if I have back-up, f**k the perp. Scum gets what is coming to them at some point,

What do you hope to accomplish? A swift kick to the nads or an extra hole where there wasn't one before. The most important part is your safety. He might not be as injured as you think. He could be a whole lot better ground fighter than you you expected. Staw away from him ans stay out of his reach. What I am saying is that the best thing to do is make that 911 call and stand in his blind side. Give him some loud verbal commands. If there are witnesses, that will be good for you in the long run. He might start telegraphing his intentions. He might start looking for avenues of escape or sizing you up to see if he can take you on. Make that call and wait for the sirens. Don't let emotions fog your mind and take your thoughts away from where they should be.

 

[JoshuaRWhite]

What do you hope to accomplish? A swift kick to the nads or an extra hole where there wasn't one before. The most important part is your safety. He might not be as injured as you think. He could be a whole lot better ground fighter than you you expected. Staw away from him ans stay out of his reach. What I am saying is that the best thing to do is make that 911 call and stand in his blind side. Give him some loud verbal commands. If there are witnesses, that will be good for you in the long run. He might start telegraphing his intentions. He might start looking for avenues of escape or sizing you up to see if he can take you on. Make that call and wait for the sirens. Don't let emotions fog your mind and take your thoughts away from where they should be.

How am I going to get kicked, shot, or stabbed when I refuse to give him aid? I'm gonna keep putting shots on target till I feel the threat is gone. And making a 911 call is obvious, all I'm saying is the paramedics will be useless. If you shoot someone in self defense and don't neutralize the threat then your either a terrible shot or you really weren't in that much danger and you decided on just shooting someone over something that obviously wasn't life threatening.

 

[lrahm]

How am I going to get kicked, shot, or stabbed when I refuse to give him aid? I'm gonna keep putting shots on target till I feel the threat is gone. And making a 911 call is obvious, all I'm saying is the paramedics will be useless. If you shoot someone in self defense and don't neutralize the threat then your either a terrible shot or you really weren't in that much danger and you decided on just shooting someone over something that obviously wasn't life threatening.

Okay I am catching on now. If by chance you ever have to defend yourself, be ready for a big shock. Not everyone dies. I am not trying to make lite of this and not trying to tick you off. I've seen dozens of shooting where the person lives. We had a person go postal at a plastics company years ago and was shot nine times before he went down. He is still in jail. I saw an woman pull a knife on an officer and was shot point blank by a .357. She stopped, threw the knife down and said I give up. Several years ago another guy was shot in the head with an AR. He is still around.

If you are a good shot and under stress you double tap and it is effective, great. Mind you, I am not advocating or say I want to kill a person while defending myself. I don't want that. I want to stop the threat or defend myself.