Quote:
Originally posted by CampMaster:
The clerk did not escalate things... he matched what the bad guy brought.
From the looks of it, the clerk did hesitate - though it's almost guarenteed this is the first time he ever hat to draw on someone for real. That is a huge mental jump to hurdle.
If he had fired from the left side of the other clerk he would have endangered the child even more.
Had he pushed the clerk down and away, he would have tipped his hand sooner and given the scum more of a chance to get the first shot off.
The fastest way to get the most clear shot (given everyones position and furnishings) was to move around behind the other clerk. There wasn't another location for the clerk to protect everyone else which would have been better. He moved to get a clear line between him and the scum - away from the kid. The mom should have grabbed the kid and dropped back to the ground... though these things happen so fast.
Once the scum had drawn and from the sounds of it, racked a round, she should have grabbed the kid and faded back to try to get out of the scums line of sight... even dropping to the ground would have been better than just standing there.
Drawing from behind the other clerk allowed him to get the first shot and promptly caught the scum off-guard.
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Way too many assumptions made.
Regardless, to say the clerk did not escalate things is a clear misunderstanding. The BG fired only after the clerk drew and the clerk's hesitation allowed a relatively close shot, notice the shot hits in the lower left frame in the video right before the flinch. Had he waited 3 seconds, 5 seconds things could have been different.
As I said very clearly the video allows us to analyze his actions and try to apply them to ourselves and help us to avoid mistakes should these situations happen to come up. By drawing on the BG and not immediately firing he simply created an immediate threat to the other clerk's life. Then his tunnel vision, which is what occurs in these situations, followed the BG to the door while firing and just before firing through the kid.
From the point he committed to his weapon, things were going to be out of control as the other variables were not anywhere near in his control. Things could have stayed under control and he still have the option to use his weapon if things progressed. Especially as the BG would have been taking the cash.
Action always beats reaction, but indecisive action gets you or someone else killed. He, frankly, just got lucky.
Can't say I would do anything different because video doesn't give you the entire "feel" for the scene. You can't imagine, regardless of how many cameras, mics, or eyewitness accounts you have, exactly how things felt unless you were there.
BUT again, the video allows us to "pretend" we were there and what would be better options.
BTW, the "racked a round" sound was probably added, I doubt it's not part of the original video.