WARNING: GRAPHIC. There’s a lot of mess to go around in this officer involved shooting. Knowing how to stop the threat you face, and what that might take, is an important part of Active Self Protection.
And from that angle, there are a lot of lessons to learn here. So, what would you have done in their situation?
Original video and news stories available here: https://get-asp.com/gt1f
What does this officer involved shooting teach us about protecting ourselves against any kind of knife attack?
1. The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but the hands are the windows to the intent of a person. If you’re in a potential conflict, ALWAYS pay attention to what the aggressor is doing with their hands. They might have a force multiplier in their hand, or they might be hiding their hand so that you can’t see what is in it or using their hand to conceal something. If their hands are empty, there is a difference between someone with fists and someone whose hands are open and relaxed.
As a self-defender your situational awareness must include seeing the hands of any potential threat in your vicinity, so watch the hands! This officer involved shooting was pretty simple, really…he had a large knife in hand that he had already murdered an officer with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dydHXoevQc