So someone is shooting at you… what to do?
Terrorist shooting on I5 at the Oregon/California border
Well, on my first day back up in Yreka, we head to Medford for shopping, as we do almost every weekend. On our way there, we experienced a shooting incident on the highway! Some guy decided to stop his car and start shooting at cars coming up behind him. I wanted to offer a few things to think about before you get into a situation like this.
I have now been in 3 terrorist incidents; one in Ireland, the San Bernardino terrorist shooting, and now this one on the highway.
First, you have to make some split-second decisions. In this case, if you are getting shot at, can you get around this shooter and leave the area. If so, there is one thing to consider: getting everyone down below the dashboard to offer some ballistic protection. You can lean down and “peek” out the windshield while you drive around the shooter; if not, try to run him over, thus making your vehicle a weapon! Be ever so careful not to run the front end of your vehicle into his, thus disabling your ability to get the heck out of there.
If you can’t pass or run them over, then consider backing up and getting as much distance as you can from the shooter. You can adjust your rear view mirror so as you lean over and take some protection from the dashboard; you can see where you are backing up. Travel as far away from the shooter as possible.
If your car is disabled and on foot or taking cover, then always orient yourself to the shooter. This means put your head or feet toward the shooter, thus making a smaller target for them to hit. If you lay down crossbody to them, you give them a larger target to hit, which isn’t right for you in the long run!
If you or your passengers are hit by gunfire, tell them to put pressure on the wound but don’t take your focus away from getting out of there.
If you have to fight, then remember to strike or poke the shooter’s eyes and, in particular, the one he is using to sight the weapon on the victims. A lot to remember for sure, but if you can damage their eyes, the old saying goes, “if they can’t see you, they can’t shoot you with a skill.” If you have a self-defense tool or self-defense gadget, you can attack their eyes with some level of capability! If not, you should become familiar with “improvised weapons.” Above is an improvised weapons class I taught a while back using kitchen tools.
In my case, here in we passed just before all this happened; something like a few minutes; otherwise, we would have been caught up in this attack. Things to think about before you need them!
Master Peter Brusso