Why are 7 bullets to the head necessary, what's wrong with 1 or 2?

Question

I'm refering to the non terrorist shot in London.

Answer 1

I think they got a bit carried away by the moment, those pesky Brazilian 'terrorists' don't come along too often.

Answer 2

There a couple of reasons that come to mind, and there are likely more that we will never know. Most police are trained to shoot until there is no longer a threat (the suspect falls down and isn't moving is usually a good sign that he can't hurt the officer or any third party bystanders). Secondly, if they suspected he had a bomb that could be triggered by the push of a button or by squeezing a trigger, they probably wanted to make sure the brain was destroyed to prevent any reflexive movements. The part of the brain that causes an instantaneous non-reflexive death is a little smaller than a marble and is located in the brain stem. This is a small target to hit, even with a rifle and careful aim (as in the case of snipers). I'm not saying 7 shots were necessary, but in my training I am taught to shoot twice to the chest and if the person still poses a threat to shoot them in the head until they no longer pose a threat. Sometimes that will be more than one shot to the head.

In 2002 there was a gunfight in Holly Springs, Georgia in which the officer was shot at first. He returned fire and hit the suspect in the chest and actually damaged the heart. The suspect however was still shoot at the officer and officer began shooting the suspect in the head and hit him 4 times before the suspect stopped moving and posing a threat. Another example is about 6 or 8 years ago in a city jail in Duluth, Georgia (I think it was Duluth) a man was brought to jail and somehow took a gun away from a detective and shot himself in the head twice and was attempting a third shot! No one would believe it, but it was all caught on camera. I've seen the tape and even spoken with one of the investigators who looked into the case.

What we can learn from these two incidents is that in real life, head shots do not kill instantly as is the common belief based on television. Remember, the face and mouth are also considered part of the head and shots in these areas are seldom incapacitating.

Answer 3

As I recall this person was acting, or trying to act like a terrorist. The police had every reason to approach, and when the ensuing action took place they had every reason to shoot. Have you EVER had to make a life or death decision in half a second? I have, it isn't fun and you aren't always correct. BTW, if they had only fired six shots and he had detonated a small nuke 30 seconds later would you be on hear screaming because they didn't fire that seventh shot. My bet is you would be.

You want it all, you want it perfect, you want it immediately and you want it constantly. These are people, they can only process the information they have at the instant of the incident. Unlike Monday morning quarterbacks, they don't have the luxury of 24 hours of gathering information and considering it from all angles. And you sir, have had how long to establish that police are a bunch of brutes set on killing anyone they can possible drum up some puny excuse against.

Get real, this is the world, and if you act stupid, a cop may just react to your idiocy.

Don't believe me, grab your own child from your wife's cart as a joke. And run through security guards while your wife is screaming, "my baby, my baby". If security is worth a damn, you will end up with a night stick tune up and I will applaud the guards for doing their job. Of course you will be suing the store. But if they had taken no action and it really was someone taking your child you would still be suing. Ask yourself, are you REALLY being fair or are you just some moron who believes all things can be solved if we just all hold hands and sing some 1960's “make love not war” song.

I really love people like you. Move to a commune somewhere and spend your days hungry while expanding your horizons on LSD. There are fools around here who care enough to at least try to protect you.

And don't forget, all this is George Bush's fault!!!!

Answer 4

because it is possible for somebody with a bullet in the head, maybe even two to survive long enough to operate an explosive device. 7 is excessive, but what is the difference after the first 1 or 2, the outcome is bad either way after that.

The police are working in a difficult situation, they have to make judgements which will affect many people and could mean life or death. They are working their hardest to protect the lives of many people. There have been mistakes, but a few people over a few hundred, which would you rather have.

People who have nothing to hide don't run.

Answer 5

7 bullets are to make sure te one you're firering at will stay dead. One or two ight not be enough, or if you miss the first shot, one of the others is bound to do the trick.

Besides I don't think they had any idea how much bullets were fired at tht time. It goes pretty fast.

It's to bad an innocent man had died, but if it was a terrorist, we'd all be glad they shot him and then it wouldn't have mattered how much bullets were fired.
So why wonder now?

Answer 6

They said that it was to make sure that he was dead, and that there are no residual nervous activity (ie: twitches) that may lead to him triggering the explosive he was thought to have been carrying even after his death.

But it sounds to me like a case of over eagerness, emotions and adrenaline. More than a little bit carried away perhaps? Especially less than a day after the 7/7 bombings.

I mean a gunshot wound to the head at point blank can cause the skull to cave in. 7 would just be a right mess.

Answer 7

The police used low velocity bullets to avoid ricochets injuring or killing other "innocent" tube passengers, so even two bullets could not be sure to kill, therefore the use of seven bullets! Of course, one or seven bullets is totally inappropriate force for an innocent man. The answer we need is, who fingered him as a terrorist? and who told those cops to shoot him? That's the pig who should be made to pay the price for this crime!

Answer 8

It still turns my stomach to think about. As a very pale skinned red-head I stand no chance of being mistaken for a terrorist, but I'm still now afraid of the police. There should be some accountability.

Answer 9

According to our friends the Israelis who have dealt with a fair few suicide bombers the shots to the head are so great in number to prevent any secondary action of jerking that could set of the suicide bombers device. (Think chicken runninh with no head)

Just a side issue if the unfortunate victim hadnt been living here illegally than maybe he would not have been in the wrong place at the wrong time

It doesnt make it right what happened but we are in a war thanks to our goverment and the religious nutters out there.

Answer 10

several people shooting at the same time = multiple bullets.
being trained not to rely on a single shot = 2 shots each (at least)

there are cases of people having had no problems being shot in the head, so if you need to take someone out, a double-tap is the safer option, as it is taught in the armed forces