Most of the time police respond to calls for service and provide a wide range of assistance to the citizen in need. However, occasionally the roles are reversed. I know that if I ever found myself in a similar situation, I would love to have impromptu back up from a man like this!
The majority of police/community partnership talks consist of a variety of “Kumbaya” hand wringing sessions where well meaning, but ineffective chatter and programs fail to decisively stop or redirect criminal behavior. However, this was not the case when 66 year old Texas man Vic Stacey made a decisive 165 yard pistol shot with a .357 magnum that likely saved the life of at least one officer. This man, a self described “average working guy,” was well prepared to use his available firearm of choice to stop a violent threat.
The police can’t (and shouldn’t) be everywhere and backup is not always close enough to make the difference. Responding alone to an active shooter situation where two people are already dead is surely one of the most gut wrenching experiences of any law enforcement career. Read this news story and watch the video interview with a man who seamlessly stood in the gap and helped law officers put down a violent murderer.
