Sword vs. Gun, Part 2
Today the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports
a madman weilding a samurai sword (katana) was shot and killed by
a police officer. The report notes: "[Jennifer Kim] believes the officer
did not have to kill Roland. ... She was running away when the deputy began
firing, she said, but she had looked at them a few seconds earlier. The
two men were 15 to 20 feet from each other, she said, not at arms-length
as described by police."
Given that distance and weapon, Roland could easily have delivered a
deadly blow in one second - even if the officer had, as Sara Ringer suggested,
"shot him in the leg, or shot him in the shoulder to get him to drop the
sword." Ms. Kim's statement of facts fully support the officer's action.
What Ms. Kim and Ms. Ringer believe, having not seen the last few seconds
and having no experience with the weapons involved, is irrelevant. Having
both a black belt in Iaido
(a martial art using Japanese swords) and advanced
firearms training, I have experience demonstrating such rapid dangerous
movements. To illustrate this situation, here is a video showing myself
delivering a sword strike across 15 feet: