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This was a most unfortunate situation and brings back memories of the Navy SpecWar member that was shot while standing outside the shoothouse at MidSouth the second week in February, 2008. I hope the injured person recovers quickly and completely.

Both situations could have been prevented. The unfortunate thing is that everyone who sends rounds downrange thinks they are an "expert", everyone who thinks they are an "expert" begins to think they are an "Instructor", and those who think they are "Instructors" think they are "Tactical / CQB / CQC / whatever term is sexy today and gets the most people into a class" "Advanced Instructors". And every "Advanced Instructor" thinks they are qualified to run a shoothouse.

Was this individual certified by a recognized agency or school as a Shoot House Instructor? I see in the back ground of one of the photos what appears to be a tire house. Tire houses are not shoot houses, especially when you are using 7.62 X 39 or 5.45 X 39 steel jacketed projectiles (or, in the case of the Navy SpecWar Operator, 5.56 SS109 green tips).

Any Instructor worth their pay will have no trouble providing you with a Professional Vita listing their Instructor Certifications. If you have any doubts, just contact the certifying agency or organization and ask if Instructor so-and-so was certified on such-and-such a date. If the organization listed says, "Who?', well, you might have an indicator....

I only know of a handful of agencies and organizations that certify Shoot House Instructors. Most of the classes I've been through are not, "lets run through the house with the lights turned off and shoot the snot out of everything". A lot of time is dedicated to the construction, materials, and physical inspection of a shoothouse before you conduct any training to make certain that the shoothouse will ballistically "match" (stop) the ammo and projectiles you plan on using. Procedural safety includes a certified instructor loading all of the student's mags just prior to an exercise in the class, doing a walk through before going "hot", verbal commands and warnings ("Two coming out!" (pause) "Come out!") etc.

It's an unfortunate paradox that the best instructors I've trained with make it look so easy that everyone thinks that they, too can teach at that level. But not every shooter is an operator, and not every operator is an instructor, and not every instructor is an advanced instructor. No offense meant to anyone, but that's just how it is.