Video - What to immediately do following a self-defense shooting

[ATCclears]

Washington Gun Law President, William Kirk, discusses what to do and what NOT to do if, God forbid, you have been involved in a self-defense shooting situation. Learn how what you do and don't do in the first several minutes immediately following the incident can affect your defense or even if you survive the incident. And learn all of this in under 4 minutes. Arm yourself with knowledge today.

Read More

 

[L84Cabo]

Consider carefully if shutting up is always going to be in your best interest. There may be critical information and/or EVIDENCE that could easily disappear if you go totally silent.

Example: "Officer, I'm the one who called you (make sure you call it in). That man on the ground attacked me. His knife fell under that car. Those two people over there are witnesses. I want to, and will cooperate fully, but won't be saying anything else until my attorney is present.

If you just shut up, critical evidence like his weapon and critical witnesses could disappear. Stuff disappears from crime scenes very quickly. Crime scenes get contaminated really quickly. It may not always be in your interest to go totally silent.

Also, make sure you have extensive conversations with your family members on what to say, and not say to the cops. There is a really good chance that your family members will be witnesses. As such, they are under NO obligations to give statements, despite what the cops might say or try to pressure them to do.

Consider that when police officers are involved in shootings, they usually do not give statements for at least 72 hours. There has been much research on how the brain takes time to sort things out after an extremely traumatic event.

My advice is that your family shouldn't give statements either until they've had time to decompress, process, and speak with the attorney as well. Any statements they do give should be incredibly short and sweet..."That man attacked us and my daddy defended us. I will cooperate fully but I'm too shaken up to give a statement right now." And then shut up. Make sure the kids know that the police may threaten to take daddy to jail if they don't talk but they should continue remaining quiet.

Good luck...and may the odds be ever in your favor.

 

[coop44]

True, be careful what you say. Just remember that most people in prison put themselves there because they couldn't shut the hell up.

 

[arakboss]

I have given this a lot of thought.

Step 1 Throw the gun in nearest body of water.

Step 2 Hide in the bushes until the coast is clear.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

If I may add here ....
Answer questions with the three "C's" :
Completely...
Clearly....
And Concisely.

I would emphasize Concisely.
Andy

 

[revjen45]

Andy, doesn't he advise not to answer questions at all without speaking to counsel?
Exercising right to silence is the epitome of concise.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Andy, doesn't he advise not to answer questions at all without speaking to counsel?
Exercising right to silence is the epitome of concise.

I am not in the camp of not always speaking without counsel.
At times it may be best to give your account ....Notice I didn't say every time...just at times.

So...

In some situations / conditions , it may be in your best interest to state what happened , without counsel being present.
Counsel being present or not...the Three "C's" apply in my view.
Andy

 

[titsonritz]

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'm just waiting for the paid pouters to lose their sh!t when a textbook good police shoot caught on cellphone is followed by a touchdown twerk.

 

[ma96782]

Aloha, Mark

 

[Switchblade666]

These days, call the first local Bail Bondsman that shows up on your Google search so they're prepaired because you KNOW your going down town no matter what! Second, facts, only state simple facts no more. Yes I was HERE, yes here is my ID, NO I will not make any statements because I am not a dummy.

 

[JuglansRegia]

Shoot, shovel and shut up?

 

[Rkangel]

Given the current state of the justice system, the inequal application of the law, the fact that criminals seem to have more "rights" than victims, the only thing I can say is, have concealed carry insurance with good legal representation and hope you never get involved in a self-defense shooting. If it goes to trial, and you are found innocent, you will still likely be financially ruined by legal fees or the subsequent civil suit brought by the family of the "little angel who would never hurt a fly".

Not to mention whatever "hate" crimes or enhanced charges they can invent for anyone who is part of their deplorables list.

 

[RX-79G]

The thing that hangs people is not their account of what happened, but the biases that come out when they describe why it happened.

If you have especially strong feelings about your fellow human beings, you ought to shut up and wait for a lawyer to help you filter your perspective into something more reasonable sounding. "He didn't belong in this neighborhood, so I was following him." "I didn't like how he prevented me from talking to a woman at the bar, so..." "I'm tired of the way people keep getting away with..." If would ever be inclined to say anything like those, know yourself well enough to know that you are about to be found guilty if you share your thoughts.

If you are a chill person who is attacked by someone you don't know for reasons that have nothing to do with your behavior, and you can speak without showing prejudice against types of people, then you are probably fine giving the police the most immediate facts before your lawyer shows up.


Along those same lines, if you have social media (this forum), texts, conversations or bumper stickers that suggest you hold particular kinds of people in disdain, you better hope you don't end up shooting one of them. It is awful hard to make the case that your fear for your life was completely situational when the jury hears about other sorts of motivations.

 

[CLRTR999]

... the only thing I can say is, have concealed carry insurance with good legal representation...

Unfortunately carry insurance isn't available in WA thanks to the anti-gun insurance commissioner

 

[RX-79G]

Not to mention whatever "hate" crimes or enhanced charges they can invent for anyone who is part of their deplorables list.

Is that list so hard to keep off of?

 

[monkeybutler]

Is that list so hard to keep off of?

It has been for me. I need to stop driving by convenience stores that aren't on the way home.

 

[RX-79G]

It has been for me. I need to stop driving by convenience stores that aren't on the way home.

Whatever that means.

 

[CountryGent]

Whatever that means.

 

[coop44]

Got shovel? A nice damp area in the woods accelerates decomposition, or so I hear.