Open-Air Gunfights

Analysis of FBI LEOKA officer deaths during structure-clearing incidents found: 72% of officers shot were in an adjacent space rather than the same room as the suspect. Only 28% were occupying the same space as the offender. 35% of offenders fired through a door, and 17% fired through walls.

Open-Air Gunfights Favor the Suspect

When officers step into the open and engage an armed suspect without cover, the encounter becomes a contest of speed, accuracy, reaction time, and luck. Even highly trained officers experience degraded performance under stress. The officer standing in the open presents a full target while receiving little protection from incoming rounds.

Cover Is a Force Multiplier

A building corner, concrete wall, engine block, pillar, or other ballistic barrier allows officers to:

• →Reduce exposure
• →Improve observation
• →Improve communication
• →Slow the situation down
• →Increase accuracy
• →Force the suspect to maneuver

Angles Win Fights

An officer using angles can often see the suspect before being fully exposed, present only a small portion of their body, control sight lines, and reduce the suspect's ability to effectively engage. The officer who understands angles is often fighting from a position of advantage before the first shot is fired.

Use cover. Use angles. Don't get into an open-air gunfight if you don't have to.