WV: Pharmacist kills armed robber

[Dave09]

A .45 at that short of a range I would anticipate it would go all the way through. I agree, the glass behind him changes. The only other explanation that I can think of is the camera reacting to the muzzle flash.

I do not think it would the muzzle flash because it does not return back to normal even after the gun fire stops. So if it did go through then the guy in the cowboy hat got extremely lucky with being directly in the line of fire and one bullet going through the target.

[rbwhatever1]

Definitely looks like the window may have been damaged. Gunfights are highly unpredictable and one will never have the perfect western gunfight where he draws first, fires once the bad guy dies instantly and return fire is non-existent. I'd say this gunfight was as perfect as a gunfight could be. No return fire, no collateral human damage, and no taxpayer expenses. The employee armed himself out of view of the criminal and went toe to toe with him as it should be. This is a win for gun owners and a win for Society. I'd also say that 45 did just fine.

[Jim Beaux]

Definitely looks like the window may have been damaged. Gunfights are highly unpredictable and one will never have the perfect western gunfight where he draws first, fires once the bad guy dies instantly and return fire is non-existent. I'd say this gunfight was as perfect as a gunfight could be. No return fire, no collateral human damage, and no taxpayer expenses. The employee armed himself out of view of the criminal and went toe to toe with him as it should be. This is a win for gun owners and a win for Society. I'd also say that 45 did just fine.

I will betcha the other pharmacist's ear is still ringing. That .45 went off very close to his head. Im not sure if I would have taken that shot - very lucky that no one else was hit.

View the video in full screen mode and focus on the date imprint - right below the "2" of the 2015, there is a dark object that appears to hit the window and rebound at the time the glass shatters. I cant tell if it's merely a casing being ejected from the .45, but....

In watching the video a few times I could never tell which round hit the bg's gun. The article dated Feb. 20 states the bg was shot in the shoulder. It could be argued that it was the first shot that hit the bg's gun changing it's trajectory, possibly hitting the bg in the left shoulder and then the window. The .45 would have enough momentum to do something like that. I also couldnt see a muzzle blast from the bg's gun at anytime during the encounter.

But then again - it also looks like it was the second shot that could have hit the bg's gun & shoulder.

[WildBill]

This article says that the pharmacist, Radcliff, went over to the wounded man and tried to stop the bleeding of the man he shot.

http://www.wowktv.com/story/28138151/em ... n-pinch-wv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This article says that the deceased was out of jail on deferred sentence so he could get treatment for drug addiction from a previous charge.
http://www.wvgazette.com/article/201502 ... /150229934" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rbwhatever1]

Definitely looks like the window may have been damaged. Gunfights are highly unpredictable and one will never have the perfect western gunfight where he draws first, fires once the bad guy dies instantly and return fire is non-existent. I'd say this gunfight was as perfect as a gunfight could be. No return fire, no collateral human damage, and no taxpayer expenses. The employee armed himself out of view of the criminal and went toe to toe with him as it should be. This is a win for gun owners and a win for Society. I'd also say that 45 did just fine.

I will betcha the other pharmacist's ear is still ringing. That .45 went off very close to his head. Im not sure if I would have taken that shot - very lucky that no one else was hit.

View the video in full screen mode and focus on the date imprint - right below the "2" of the 2015, there is a dark object that appears to hit the window and rebound at the time the glass shatters. I cant tell if it's merely a casing being ejected from the .45, but....

In watching the video a few times I could never tell which round hit the bg's gun. The article dated Feb. 20 states the bg was shot in the shoulder. It could be argued that it was the first shot that hit the bg's gun changing it's trajectory, possibly hitting the bg in the left shoulder and then the window. The .45 would have enough momentum to do something like that. I also couldnt see a muzzle blast from the bg's gun at anytime during the encounter.

But then again - it also looks like it was the second shot that could have hit the bg's gun & shoulder.

You're absolutely right about the other pharmacists ears ringing. I hope he has no permanent damage. I bet he gets free ear drops and any meds he needs!
I slowed it down and could see the first round shattering the glass as the casing was ejected but hard to tell if it hit the gun. Highly likely it did. You can definitely see the pharmacist cover his ears after the first shot.

[Jumping Frog]

Here's the surveillance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAXUDNB2JZY

Read some comments by a firearms instructor that caused me to take a second look at this video. There are some interesting things to notice:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02 ... l-graphic/

This is a great story. Legally armed citizen defends himself and co-workers, all the good guys go home and the bad guy? Well he is dead.
Sounds like an over all win but the video tells a different story, at least from a trainers perspective. With combat handgun shooting I stress proper grip to ensure fast and accurate follow up shots. I also stress driving the gun to the threat/target and shoot them to the ground. There is no magic number we need should engage a threat with. Study enough shootings and you will find that a lot of the good guys/gals shoot 3-8 rounds during the confrontation. So subscribing to the tactic of "double taps" it not necessarily a realistic option for those engaged in combat with a handgun.
So lets dissect the video from a training perspective.

42 seconds into the video- Don Radcliff (good guy) fires his first shot and his left hand pops off the gun. This is common and is caused by a poor support hand grip.

43 seconds into the video- You see Don lower his weapon. I see this far too often during training. Shooters love looking at where their shot went. I would be l willing to bet Don is reflexively looking for his shot placement because he has done it thousands of times before.

43 seconds a few frames, Don reacquires his support hand (left hand) grip and you can see his left thumb wraps behind the slide. Not good for grip, function of the weapon or your thumb.

45 seconds into the video Don fires his second shot and the left hand flies off the weapon. I am guessing the slide hit his thumb. You also see the gun lower again. Is Don looking for shot placement? It also looks like he may have glanced at his thumb because the slide hit it. Either way he is not focused on the threat.

47 seconds into the video and Don fires his third and final round. This time the head/gun separation or Don looking at his target is very obvious.

3 rounds in roughly 5 seconds and we are not timing the draw/presentation of the handgun. Even in my 4 hour class we end by firing 5 rounds in 3.5 seconds at 15 feet in a 7x7 inch box. In any of our 8 hour handgun classes we accomplish 5 rounds in 3.5 seconds at 15 feet in a 3x6 inch box.

It all comes down to proper grip, making the sights your mission and committing to proper trigger control. Lastly, we shoot the threat to the ground.

On a side note... The second shot Don fired hit the bad guy's weapon. It is very common for weapons, hands and arms to be hit during a gun fight. Learn to run your gun one handed, left and right. Attempting to learn these skills during a fight is not in your best interest.