Police on horses

One thing that I learned early on at the range was to trust my handgun to get the job done when needed. Which is why we were shooting out to 120yds with service handguns. Learning that you can land combat effective hits on a torso at 100+yds was eye opening to some people, including seasoned shooters. Even with a slightly high point blank hold, you can land shots with proper breath and trigger control. If you have access to 100yd range and a torso sized steel give it a try next time you head out shooting.

While I do not in any way want to diminish the shot that this officer took, it was indeed one of the most impressive handgun combative stories I have heard in a long time. It should be noted that in a pinch, when all else fails that you can shoot your handgun at those ranges, landing combat effective hits.

The officer that took this shot should rightfully be commended for ending what could have been a much worse shooting. This is a classic example of a good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun, and doing so while holding horses, with a .40 S&W at 104yds.

Here is a story:

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The gunman who attacked the federal courthouse, the Mexican consulate and the Austin Police Department headquarters was killed by a single shot taken from 312 feet away by mounted patrol Sgt. Adam Johnson who also held the reigns of two horses.

Sgt. Johnson told Chief Art Acevedo that he credits “divine intervention” and that the other officers in the mounted patrol unit who were advancing on the shooter should get the majority of the credit.

Acevedo described Larry Steve McQuilliams as being heavily armed with two “long rifle guns” including a .22 caliber and an AK-47-style weapon. In the rental van he used during the attacks, police found a book titled “Vigilantes of Christendom” as well as multiple propane cans fashioned as Improvised Explosive Devices. Also inside the van, officers found a map with 34 targets, including two downtown churches.