What to do after a shooting

[larrymeyer]

If you carry, and or forced to shoot someone. What would be the proper procedures to follow when the police arrive at the scene, and even before that like calling 911 or calling your lawyer. What should you say I just shoot and killed someone or I was attacked and need help ?

Look forward to hearing from someone smarter then me

[TonyF]

Politely refuse to speak to the police. Tell them you will not answer any questions without your attorney present.

[Hawk]

OK, I have a strange question. After you shoot someone and he is incapacitated and no longer a threat, do you render first aide?

Hawk,

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by Hawk

OK, I have a strange question. After you shoot someone and he is incapacitated and no longer a threat, do you render first aide?

Hawk,

I can't comment on the legal issues as I'm not a lawyer. However, IMHO by rendering first said to someone you shoot in self-defense, it shows that you really didn't want to hurt the attacker, and that said attacker left you no choice.

There have been threads in the past which also discussed the right way to prepare for and handle oneself in a post-shooting-in-defense scenario, although I can't seem to find the topics right now. I would encourage anyone interested to also look for these topics with the Search feature; if I find them myself I'll post them here.

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by Hawk

OK, I have a strange question. After you shoot someone and he is incapacitated and no longer a threat, do you render first aide?

Hawk,

YES!!!

doing so will go a long way toward convincing the police/DA/judge/jury that you only did what you had to do to defend yourself and had no desire to kill someone.

i carry a first-aid kit with me everywhere i go that includes provisions for dealing with gunshot wounds (including non-latex medical gloves...you don't want to contract HIV or anything like that as a result of aiding a stranger).

[phillyd2]

Originally Posted by TonyF

Politely refuse to speak to the police. Tell them you will not answer any questions without your attorney present.

100% Correct. And that means you answer NO questions without your attorney.

1. Reload
2. Call 911 to "report a shooting" NOT "OMG, I just shot somebody who ......."
3. Call your attorney.

[Rule10b5]

Originally Posted by Hawk

OK, I have a strange question. After you shoot someone and he is incapacitated and no longer a threat, do you render first aide?

Hawk,

I have to disagree with LRT on this one. The last thing you want to do post-shooting is get anywhere near the perpetrator.

First, the guy just tried to kill you, and you just shot him. If he's the sort of person to try to kill you, he's the sort of person to try to finish the job, especially because, well, you just shot him. He's not going to be rational, give up, and thank you -- he's likely going to try to continue to kill you. Especially, especially if he thinks he's going to die -- he might as well take you with him. This is the reason officers involved in a shooting aren't supposed to render aid to the shootee, especially if they're alone. The officers will understand and expect you not to approach. They'll convey this to the DA if it even comes up.

Second, by virtue of approaching him, you're bringing him a weapon (your gun) if he already doesn't have another one. Why would you do that? You should never approach anyone you have at gunpoint, period.

Third (and a distant third at that), is that if it's a good shoot, it's a good shoot. Whether you render aid won't change a thing. And, it could even be suggested that you felt bad about shooting him (like you weren't perfectly justified) so you felt compelled to help.

Stand back, maintain control of the area, holster your weapon, if possible, and wait for the police to show up.

[ssom003]

Put some sort of weapon in the hand of the dead person before the police show up…
Dead man don't talk....

[Rule10b5]

Originally Posted by ssom003

Put some sort of weapon in the hand of the dead person before the police show up…
Dead man don't talk....

Dude, not funny.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by Rule10b5

Dude, not funny.

Agreed. Nothing wrong with a joke, but bad "advice" like that doesn't help anyone, nor does it contribute to the discussion.