Jayland Walker

What is a four-syllable expression for tragedy?

Jayland Walker. 

A tragedy in many parts

You can research him and the tragedy that follows the accidental death of his fiancée.  Shakespeare could use this as a basis for one of his tragedies.  For a cast of characters, we have a melancholy, depressed young man, traumatized police officers, a family and friends asking why they did not see the warning signs, a polarized city disrupted by protest, and a chorus of millions. 

But we can learn from this.

The loss of loved a one is always a traumatic, life-changing event.  As family/friends, we need to do everything we can to seek professional counseling for ourselves and the victims of the tragedy.  Don’t take no for an answer.  Bribe, convince, cajole but get them and yourself help.

The investigation of the shooting by the Ohio Criminal Bureau of Investigation was much more comprehensive than I expected.  But there are a few gems for the CCW community.

The key to remember is you can only tell the jury what you knew at the moment you pulled the trigger.  The question then becomes, when did you know this, and how do you prove it?

Having acknowledged experts published in the community newspaper is about as good as it gets.

The quotes are from the Akron Beacon Journal published 20 April 2023.

“Some officers…thought Walker fired first – not from his vehicle during the car chase but when officers caught up to him in the parking lot… They thought they were returning fire…”

In the chaos of battle, valid information becomes scarce.  The gunfire from the police made other police think they were being fired on.  For us civilians, it points out that in the explosion of violence in a restaurant, shopping mall or church, you will likely not know who is shooting who.  Before you insert yourself, make sure you understand what is happening and who the actors are.

Shooting your gun because others are, can and most likely will result in a long and costly trial and years of incarceration.

Topping off a gun, that is, loading the gun, removing the magazine, and replacing the round used to load the gun is a common practice.  You may find yourself challenged that topping off shows you had malice, wanted to punish, or were looking for a conflict.  Not so, said Charles P. Stephenson, former police officer and FBI firearm instructor.  “That’s not unusual…That’s the way it’s carried, one round in the chamber.”

Court is very much like theatre.  The lawyers present their view of reality and what happened.  The jury picks the version they like more.  The jury’s job is to decide what the truth is.  In blog "Dead End Street" http://tactical-talk.blogspot.com/2018/04/dead-end-street.html, the prosecutor stated Knight (Accused) “tactically” parked his truck a few doors down.  The use of "tactically parked" is stage dressing for her version of reality.  I have not gotten anyone who can explain what “tactically parked” means.

Your ability to demonstrate the falsehood of a statement can keep you out of the Graybar Hotel.

"Two of the eight officers…Could not recall how many shots they fired."  We perceive that police are better trained than the average CCW holder.  If police cannot remember how many times they fired their gun, how could you be expected to know?  The answer to that question should always be  "I don’t know.  I shot until the threat was removed.”

The question or implication you fired too much and should have stopped sooner can be addressed with “Stephenson also explained that standard officer training calls for the forceful neutralization of threats.  And 1 to 2 seconds can pass before the human mind acknowledges that the threat has passed…"  The key here is if it takes trained officers one to two seconds to realize the imminent threat has passed, what can you expect from the civilian CCW community?

Not engaging in gunfire, if you can safely avoid it, is clearly beneficial.  Your training and tactics should reflect the three phases of any armed encounter.  They are, Pre-conflict, Conflict, and Post-conflict.  Many of us train for the conflict.  Gun ranges are filled with people practicing shot placement, barricade work, reloading and such.  Some will study the pre-conflict phase, learn what to watch for, recognize the escalating situation, and understand how to defuse it. 

But if you don’t study and prepare for the post-conflict, it will not end well for you and your loved ones.