It has been reported that 13 rounds, (out of 32 rounds shot) actually hit Charles A. Williams. That's an average of around 30% of the shots fired. The average percentage for a situation like this is actually only 15% to 17%. Excellent work Officers!
The last two shots are what finally took Charles A. Williams down. While doing some research on this matter referencing a person threatening or coming at a Police Officer with a knife is as follows.
In training they teach Officers to keep clear of the perp at least 21 feet. Charles A. Williams was 20 to 21 feet from the Officers. The reaction time of an Officer is 1.5 seconds and any perp within 21 feet CAN reach an Officer before he/she can draw their weapon and fire.
That being said, when Charles A. Williams was within 7 feet of the Officers and coming at them while they were firing their weapons they started retreating backwards. I'm told one of the Officers fell to the ground, (as they are trained to do) onto his back. This procedure is to protect the Officer in which he can use his legs and feet to fend off a perp with a knife.
Fortunately the last two shots were what took Charles A. Williams down. Charles A. Williams was in fact coming at the Officers with a knife and not following their commands. It was a clean shoot and a justified shoot according to the professionals I spoke with.
It's time to put this story to rest.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
46 comments:
Get these officers some tazers so everyone is better off. Im sure he didnt want to die and Im sure the officers didnt want to shoot and Im sure the home-owner never wanted any of it. Police officers shouldnt be sitting around filling out request forms for equipment they should already have.
Sorry Doug but I feel Mr. Williams was on a death wish. It was them or him. If he didn't have a weapon and there were three or four Officers there, I'd agree with you. That was not the case. He was coming at them and they started firing when he was 20 feet away. He was still coming on strong when he was only 7 feet away and the last two shots took him down. He was attempting to kill these Officers and completely out of his mind. I'm happy to hear ALL four Officer went home safely that night.
I'll add, YOU nor I would have ever even thought of not obeying a Police Officers commands. This man was out to kill them and that's all there is to it.
doug wilkerson said...
Get these officers some tazers so everyone is better off. Im sure he didnt want to die and Im sure the officers didnt want to shoot and Im sure the home-owner never wanted any of it. Police officers shouldnt be sitting around filling out request forms for equipment they should already have.
6:12 PM
Doug, I know you are a liberal idiot, but these officers don't need a tazer gun to fend off a criminal with a deadly weapon. Shoot the bastard like they did. I hope you aren't the victim of a crime one day and need these officers assistance.
Shut up, Doug. Deadly force was used on these officers, and deadly force is what he got back. STFU!
Tazers would not have been used if they had them. This suspect had a lethal weapon. Lethal force is confronted with Lethal force. For those of us who carry them the Tazer is below pepper spray on the force continum. Thats right most agencies with tazers are taught to use tazer before pepper spray, becuase in 99.9 % of the cases the tazer causes no lasting effects. Pepper spray can continue to affect for hours. Please stop questioning these officers and the agencies policies. These officers did their job. Let the average citizens house get broken into with a suspect with no nife or a knife that the home owner has a gun. Do you think the home owner will shoot or say what else could I use to disable this person who is trying to kill without hurting him!!!!
A liberal idiot, not really. Mr Wells, had you couple already have you? If you read early on on the original post you will see what I had to say about this. I would of shot him dead where he stood. If I am on a side it is surely the side of the police. My point here now was simply that these situations are going to arise and the police will have to face situations like this again. Wouldnt it be nice if they had the opurtunity to try non-leathal force first. If the perp continued shot him dead. If you want to come tell me to my face to stfu 38278 providence church road delmar delaware.
7 feet and they didnt get 100%? maybe they should be going after barns instead.
Doug
Would you want to get close enough to fire a tazer at someone that is holding a knife? Im sure a knife can be thrown farther than a tazer can shoot.
I dont like to see anyone killed but from the looks of it these officers had no choice.
Thank you for this post Joe, I think it sets the record straight.
wrong joe, thats not all there is to it, you wrote "fortunatly the last 2 shots took him down" there is nothing fortunate about it. the police didnt go home safe, they have to live with that decision for a long time. the man had a mental illness, and though the police were justified in shooting, it is far from fortunate.
you all have it wrong sorry to say. but its a classic case of "suicide by cop" in which the perp wants to kill him or herself and instead of doing so knows that police are trained to fire at a direct threat of life to themselves example running at a cop with a knife or pointing a fire arm at an officer. yes it may have turned out different if they had tasers but no ones knows unless you were there you dont know. haven't we all heard the saying "hindsight is 20/20 or dont monday morning quarterback it"
Get over it Doug--the police did what they had to do and the late Mr. Williams is no longer a threat to innocent old ladies, the police, or even you. By the way ,I heard there was at least one other break-in a block away the same day- wonder if the same guy was stalking this neighborhood. There's a lot of elderly folks over there who would stand little chance against a man with a knife. Glad the SPD did their job !!
Whoa, now I AM impressed. To have the presence of mind to remember your training and fall down on your back instead of turning tail and running for your life is most impressive. These were obviously well-trained officers, and my hat is off to them. People seem to think I'm a liberal, and maybe on some issues I am, but not on this. They did the right thing, and they did it well. Yeah, right---someone's running at me with a lethal weapon and I'm going to reach for a taser so I can be "humane" to someone obviously bent on killing me? I don't think so! Bless the perp's heart, he's saved us taxpayers a whole lotta money. I wonder what nifty little items will show up if they do a toxicology report on him? Anyway, it seems this guy chose suicide by cop, and it worked quite well.
Like I said , set the example ,
good work guys. The next guy will think twicw before he reacts that way.
We don't know what was going on in his mind. Who cares , get er done!
Move on to the next butt head
the more you talk doug! the more i think ur brainless.
doug,,where were you born and raised anyway?
Brainless, if only you could be so lucky. I was born here. But I have been born twice, so to say.
Any questions, Doug??? STFU.
What is all this TAZER stuff? If the officers would have TAZED him and he died....then what would you all have said...oh gosh these TAZERS are bad tools....you guys can't have your cake and eat it too...Great job city officers...Maybe some of you tree huggers should support the officers and their families knowing they just had to end a life for the peanuts they make.
Salisbury Police officers are trained to fall to the ground when firing at an approaching attacker wielding a knife? That doesn't seem like the most effective possible tactic to my lay mind.
I'm inclined to question its effectiveness, and I wonder (with skepticism), if better organized, trained, and equipped forces would employ such a tactic. Specifically, I have difficulty envisioning a federal agent deliberately "falling", with his/her back upright upon the ground in the face of such underwhelming force.
I suspect that this maneuver, if advised at all, is recommended only as a secondary tactic.
Assuming the limited information provided on this website regarding the broader incident is true, it appears to me as if the officers were morally justified in firing their weapons at the suspect.
However, the officers' accuracy is, to me, unacceptable. If what has been reported on this website is true, Nineteen .45 caliber rounds missed their intended target, and were sprayed into a residential neighborhood. Nineteen stray bullets could have struck a sleeping child. Nineteen stray bullets could have entered a passing vehicle. Nineteen stray bullets could have extinguished an innocent life.
It is fortunate none of the officers were injured. It is also fortunate that the suspect was neutralized before he could execute his alleged will to harm area residents.
It is unfortunate that the City of Salisbury is unable to provide a police force with the necessary training, equipment, and skill to better resolve incidents such as this, without putting innocent lives at unnecessary risk.
15-17% average, my god they better start issueing shotguns and grenades.
If hunters were that bad, we would be overrun with game.
Orson its your move, trust I never go out.
I think a stronger message is needed. Go to his families house kill them burn their house down and do the same to all his friends.Do you think that would be to extreme?
Nice to meet you Mr Butler.
The city of Salisbury is to busy buying new toys for the boyz from metro to be worrying about pay raises, equipment or training for the SPD. SPD will get a couple new cars...whoooopdedoooo. SFD will get a new trailer and a new truck to pull the trailer they'll never use but hey they are Bubba's boyz from metro.
Grannydragon this should put police training in a new perspective for you. Police train and train because during an incident like this, large amounts of adrenaline are released into the bloodstream. This adrenaline surge is a natural occurring phenomenon that causes the heart rate to increase, pupils dilate, small blood vessels dilate, and the ability to think is absolutely reduced to the point that any actions carried out are instinctual. Repeated training embeds technique and proper response into instinct. Example: go up behind a uniformed police officer who is waiting in line at a convenience store and playfully grab the grip of his Glock. In about a half a second his/her elbow will have rearranged the way your teeth were situated in your mouth. This is due to repeated training in weapon retention. There is little or no thought process - just instinctual reaction. It has, over the past several years, come to the attention to the professional behavior research analysts that the adrenaline surge an officer experiences during a high speed pursuit reduces the officer psychologically to a predator. As the predator pursues the suspect, the suspect becomes the prey. Tunnel vision, increased heart rate, etc., is the normal animalistic response. Repeated training and experience will help to ensure that the actions taken during this type of pursuit will end without civilian casualties by helping the officer recognize that it may be better to terminate the pursuit when certain circumstances arise. Training, training, training. The more we train in the gym the less we bleed on the street.
Anon 8:12 I'm sure you are trying to be funny but hunters are not being shot at or threatned with lethal force. They sit back at a considerable distance and shoot weapons with higher accuracy and aiming most of the time. The 100% or master paper target shooting officer will only shoot on average 70% in a live shoot operation. Drop that down to the minimum Maryland Police Training Commission score of 70% and you get a officer who when confronted could not hit the broad side of the barn at 50 feet and no I am not exagerating at all. Besides I'm sure they only qualify twice a year as required by M.P.T.C. Obviously the officer who fired the fatal shots is close to or carries a Master certification.
7:27 say's. I REST MY CASE!
having personally been in this situation and having shot an intruder in my home, I can tell you that training or no training, your adrenaline and nerves take over more than anything, and the simple fact is, you have no time to decide how or what way is best, you simply have to react with instinct. Don't talk about the officers accuracy if you can't comprehend what they went through.
Bottom line the police did what they had to do. Lets get them better pay, more help and all the equipment they need. I quess we need to get them a new coach too.
You listening Jim?
I am just glad that Mr. Williams is off the streets....for good. He was a danger to our community and especially since I live by myself, I feel better knowing that HE wont be intruding into my home in the middle of the night.
IF more of the criminals were shot crime in Salisbury would go down.
Good Job.
Also when crime happens in Salisbury, I would like to see all outlets (WBOC, WMDT, The Daily Times) (not you Joe, cause you already do) tell us about that crime and where it happened. For too long now, citizens have known that crime is happeneing but it never gets in the news, WHY? We have seen things happen in our neighborhoods and it doesn't get on the news or in the paper, WHY? Jim, you're the Mayor now, make it happen.
As I posted last night, I wrote that when it was all said and done a majority of the rounds would be misses, not hits. Fight or Flight is an amazing thing. Now try to imagine when police officers were still carrying six shot revolvers while the bad guys were carrying semi's. Can you imagine an officer in a shooting situation against someone with a 14 shot handgun. It's 2:30 am; 18 degrees; 25 mph wind; and snowing. The officer, behind cover, has expended all six rounds. In this environment and with these elements, the officer must now dump the spent shells and reload, either manually or by lining up his speed loader in the dark and making sure all six rounds drop cleanly into his weapon, all the while not knowing if the subject is approaching to put a bullet into his head.
9:23 If more judges would punish these criminals when they're little bastards just venturing out in their life of crime crime would be much lower. Criminals get way too many bites out of the apple. But a funny thing happens when a judge becomes a victim of a crime. He/she suddenly becomes harder on the criminals that come before him charged with the same crime that was perpetrated on the judge or his/her property.
Wow so many people who think they can be the perfect cop. Great SPD is down a few officers, go apply and prove you know it all. If you have not been in a situation like this, sit back an read and keep your mouth shut. These officers did a great job, something that will effect them for the rest of their life. Tazers could have helped, could have worked, maybe or maybe not. They have been used on knife attacks but it would have been hard in this situation for the first officer. Maybe after the second or third got their but we will never know because Webster refuses to get them. Numerous requests have been made, he refuses to honor them. Webster is not what we need here and Ireton I hope you see that.
8:23---"playfully grab the grip of his glock"? Did someone tell you I have an IQ of 60 or something?
I don't need a new perspective on police training; I'm just very grateful the training "took" with these guys. I'm all for ending this bleeding-heart, "awwww, he had a rough childhood" mentality. These officers reacted the way they should have: meet lethal force with lethal force. I don't live in the town of Salisbury, but I work there and take deposits to the bank there, and now I'm just a litle more comfortable knowing SPD officers know their stuff.
Great comment, by the way.
Sean Butler you said "However, the officers' accuracy is, to me, unacceptable. If what has been reported on this website is true, Nineteen .45 caliber rounds missed their intended target, and were sprayed into a residential neighborhood. Nineteen stray bullets could have struck a sleeping child. Nineteen stray bullets could have entered a passing vehicle. Nineteen stray bullets could have extinguished an innocent life."
Well guess what you are right and LE's are responsible for there bullets. But lets put you in front of a crazed criminal wanting to kill you, lets see how you react when your blood pressure goes from 180/20 to 250/175 in a split second. Let's see how you react when all you can see is your wife and kids flash in front of you as someone is trying to kill you. Lets see just how dam accurate you shoot. Why don't you google the statistics for police involved shootings and research how close most gunfights are and how many bullets actually hit there intended target during high stress situations. You know people like you kill me when you make comments such as the one you did "unacceptable" guess what, if one of those bullets did hit a sleeping child then that is just one other thing that cop will have to live with for the rest of his/her life....HMMMM something else a cop has to think about before making a split second decision. Hell I bet you can't decide that quick about what you want to eat for breakfast. Dam people I think you all are just better off putting this topic to rest as joe recommended. The POS is dead and he DESERVED it. He deserved all 32 rounds if you ask me. Mental or not he was trying to kill someone. I think all these liberal tree hugging turds need to be on an island of there own with no police, a bunch of weed and complete lawlessness and see how long they last.
Is it the same Charles A. Williams born in 1955 that I just saw on Judiciary Case Search that has numerous assault charges, DEADLY WEAPON CONCEAL, ASSAULT W/ INTENT TO MURDER. I could go on and on. If this is the same guy then you really got to look at our judiciary system people. Joe had a great video of a Sheriff in California being interviewed following the death of one of his cops. You all should go back and watch it. The judiciary system is failing you people, wake up. Jails to full then start killing the ones on death row to make room. I don't see what is so hard about making people pay the price for what they did. I don't see what is so hard about sentencing someone to 10 years in prison and making them spend the full 10. I don't understand how one person is sentenced to 10 years and gets out in 2 because they were a good boy or girl. Then they reoffend and get sentenced again to 10 more years and get out in 5 because they were a good boy or girl again. Hell aren't you going to be good if you knew you could be free again in less than half the time you were sentenced to. Hell YEa I am. And then to reoffend and the same thing happen. BS you do the crime you do the time.
You tell 'em, 9:52! I think I love you!
These officers belong back on the street right now. Others could take a lesson from them. We need to stand up to crime adn not back down. If these hoodlums want to rob, maim, kill, steal, etc., then we need to have tougher officers, judges and the like. Maybe one day the good citizens of Salisbury will be safe again.
Get off the cop's ass. THey did what they were supposed to do. If you want to blame someone, blame the offender. If he wasn't there, the cops would not have had to shoot.
lol..TASERs do nothing in this situation. If they had drawn TASERs instead of guns, the officers would have been hurt or worse in this situation.
dogg
as the wife of a police officer, with a child on the way, i would like to throw my two cents in.... it is unfortunate that anyone died monday night. but if my husband feels his life being threatened in any way by a suspect - who is advancing towards him, refusing to drop a foot long knife - he damn well better shoot to kill. everyone has rights, but the rights of a criminal should not, in any way, supercede my husband's right to life & family.
Go ahead and convince yourselves of the rightousness of this. But something stinks, this was wrong.
Anon 12:21
I have heard "that something stinks" about this topic several times on these blogs, but no one will come forward and say what it is that they think "stinks" about the situation. Spill it come on juts say it or I know how about you just STFU and keep it to yourself!!!!!!!!! If this guy got away with this maybe he would be in your home the next day, will it stink then? Na I didn't think so, you would want some fire power there quick fast and in a hurry. And then if the cops didn't shoot and he got away ran up the street and killed someone it would be the cops fault for neglect of duty. Dam some people really make me sick!! All some want is to rehabilitate rehabilitate rehabilitate, that crap doesn't work. Most of the thugs in jail are re-offenders or they probably wouldn't be there because we all know you don't go to jail on your first, second maybe even your third offense, unless you get caught driving suspended LOL
Anon 12:21
YOU ARE A SICKO....
And to the SPD officers: You done what you had to do, you have my support and respect.
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