We were only two and a half hours into the night watch. My shift partner had stopped a suspicious vehicle, and a male occupant was giving false information about his identity. My trainee and I responded as backup. We decided to get the subject out of the car to find out who he really was. The suspect leaped out and pressed a gun to my trainee's neck. I was thinking, Here we go.
The suspect opened fire. The first shot barely missed my trainee's head. I could feel a bullet pass under my right arm as I was trying to draw my weapon. A round from the suspect hit the door of the primary officer's patrol car. Then I got shot by a .380-caliber round from the suspect's weapon. It went through the flap of my cuff case (I wear a double case in front), skidded off my holster, and slammed into my backup flashlight, a
SureFire 8AX. The impact knocked me down into the street. The primary officer and I returned fire, killing the suspect.
About 10 minutes later I pulled out my SureFire and noticed the dent in it from the impact of the slug--the slug was still inside my flashlight holster. When examined afterward, the knurling from the flashlight body could be clearly seen on the slug face. Amazingly, my SureFire still worked when I turned it on!
They say you are forever changed after being involved in a fatal shooting. I know one thing that won't change: I'll continue to carry a SureFire.
Officer M.J.D.
Boulder City, NV
