Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Near Miss is a voluntary, non-disciplinary officer safety initiative that allows law enforcement personnel to read about and anonymously share stories of close calls or “near misses,” which provide lessons learned that can protect fellow officers in similar situations.
Event Summary
I was dispatched for a suspect reportedly assaulting his neighbor in the driveway of a vacant house. (The suspect used to be the homeowner of the residence before the house was foreclosed. The neighbor was now trying to buy the house to use as a rental property, which the suspect was not happy about). This suspect was known by the department due to many past alcohol and domestic violence-related incidents. I had personally arrested this suspect twice in prior cases.
I arrived on scene with a backup officer from another jurisdiction. We contacted the victim and his wife and determined an assault had occurred. The victim stated the suspect fled on foot to the backyard of the house. I knocked on the front door to the house without any answer. The door was locked, and the house appeared vacant through the window. I told my backup officer to be careful because the suspect was known to have guns and had attempted to hide from me during a prior incident.
The other officer and I went around the house to the backyard and approached the back door. I knocked on the door and called out to the suspect, but there was no answer. I opened the door and again called for the suspect to come out of the house, but no answer. There were approximately 2 inches of new snow on the ground from the night before, and at that point, I observed fresh footprints leading to a chicken coop in the backyard about 50 feet away from us. I told my backup officer to stay next to the back door (since the house hadn’t been searched yet) and I would check the footprints.
I drew my handgun and went into the fenced area around the coop. A few more steps and I was at the door to the coop. I opened the door and observed several windows stacked to prevent me from entering the chicken coop. It was dark inside, but I attempted to look past the windows for any sign of the suspect. I then saw the suspect step out from hiding with a rifle aimed at me. We were approximately 12 feet away from each other. I reacted and dove to the left. As I was going to the ground, I heard the suspect shoot at me. (From entry to the suspect shooting at me was about 4 seconds).
As I hit the ground, I shot through the wall twice. I heard another shot from the suspect, which came through the wall and barely missed hitting the top of my shoulder. I remember thinking the suspect is still shooting at me, and I have to get up and finish this.
As I got up, I thought about how I would likely lose in a firefight against a suspect armed with a rifle, so I decided to take cover. The closest cover was a nearby tree, but I knew that I would be exposed as I ran past the open door. I decided to go for the tree and, as I ran by the door, I shot one more time at the suspect to cover my run. I jumped over a small fence and made it safely behind the tree. My backup officer took cover at the back corner of the house. I called out to the suspect, but he wouldn’t answer me.
On the front of the chicken coop were windows that afforded the suspect a full view of the rear of the house, including the corner where my backup officer had taken cover. The suspect shot at the officer and hit the house two brick lengths from his head. I called out to the officer to move because he was in sight of the suspect. The suspect continued to shoot randomly from the chicken coop.
Multiple officers responded to assist, and a SWAT team was eventually called out. After six hours of negotiations, the suspect finally surrendered. He has since been convicted of attempted murder of a police officer and sentenced to life in prison.
Lessons Learned
- Slow down with your tactics, make an arrest plan and wait for more help.
- Be observant of your surroundings to detect and prevent a possible ambush. When we were checking the back door of the house and when I was approaching the chicken coop, we were in full view of the suspect from the chicken coop windows.
- Be mindful of what type of uniform you are wearing during law enforcement action. The backup officer was wearing a polo shirt with an embroidered police badge and a baseball cap that was embroidered with “Police.” In court, the suspect successfully argued that he did not know my backup was a police officer because of what he was wearing, which resulted in a lesser charge for shooting at that officer.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR NEAR MISS
Support this critical officer safety initiative by reading and sharing the near-miss stories and lessons learned that your fellow officers have shared, and consider sharing your own near-miss experiences at LEOnearmiss.org.