Federal Air Marshall Fires Weapon

[DDGator]

CNN is getting ready to break a story on a Federal Air Marshall firing his weapon inside a plane on the runway in Miami.  

No details yet...

I am assuming this must be the first time this has happened. Wonder what its all about?

Does anyone know what kind of hardware those guys are packing?

I hope he was both correct and successful in eliminating the threat.

[tracker]

The Secret Service carries Sigs--226, I believe, and I
am guessing that the Air Marshalls do also.

[R9SCarry]

Still awaiting fresh details but I believe Fox have reported that it was actually shots fired from outside the plane - bomb threat or similar.

Should be more info this evening.

[tracker]

The plane was parked at the gate; the two in question
exited onto the jetway and that is where the suspect was
shot and killed when he apparently reached in a bag.

[Buz]

Here is a link to the newspaper article.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-127miashooting,0,7325539.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[R9SCarry]

Thx for the link Buz - as of now it does seem a justifiable shoot.

[TW]

Does anyone know what kind of hardware those guys are packing?

I know of at least one Air Marshall who carries an R9...others all wanted one when they saw that one...!  This individual's standard carry was a Sig .226 as I recall...TW<<

[aircop_m]

Most teams in the FAM  service carry either a P228, or a P229, of course, that can change from team to team.

[TW]

>>Yeah...like he said...!...TW<<

[Richard S]

What really sickens me is all of this second guessing being thrown at the Federal Air Marshals involved by some of the "spineless talking heads" on a couple of television channels which shall remain nameless.  

Federal Air Marshals must be prepared to make split-second, life-and-death decisions and without backup. They must rely on their instincts and their training to protect hundreds of lives.  If it had turned out that the man who caused this tragic incident had actually possessed a bomb and the Marshals had hesitated long enough for him to explode it and kill Heaven knows how many innocent people, the same "spineless talking heads" would now be bleating about how the Federal Government had failed in its duty.  They make me sick.

[DDGator]

Agreed Richard.

I hadn't heard too much negative until today.  Now some idiot sitting in Row 24 is coming out to say he never heard the word "bomb."  Well -- the people up front did.  You weren't there.  Shut your hole.

I also heard some idiot today claiming to be a cop who said you should never shoot at a bomb -- the bullet could detonate it.  Assinine.  So, what?  If a guy claims to have a bomb you can't shoot him anywhere?

Finally, I hear people asking why the Air Marshalls didn't hear or didn't consider the man's wife yelling that he was bi-polar and off his medicine.  Again, SO WHAT?  1) The Marshalls are no doubt trained to anticipate attacks in teams and to not get side-tracked by diversionary tactics; and 2) Why would the Air Marshall knowing the guy was bi-polar cause the Marshall to believe he was more stable or less dangerous?  If anything -- that make me more worried that he is not a terrorist, just a freaking nutcase.

All the sings were there.  An unstable, aggressive individual who was not following commands, attempting to flee, threatening a bomb, and making a furtive/threatening movement.  BANG.  End of story.  Sad and unfortunate result, no doubt, but the correct one.  

[RANT OFF]

[Michigunner]

The Air Marshalls are heros.  I feel fortunate they are there to protect us.

I hope they tighten up the rules and procedures even more!

Someone who hollers "bomb"  automatically attaches a target to their body.

[Buz]

You CAN NOT test armed federal marshalls by acting crazy on a plane in the United States;  We still haven't forgotten that strange day 4 years ago.  

This guy stopped taking his medication(probably against the doctors orders) and at that moment changed his own destiny.

The Air Marshalls did their job....period!  End of Story.  

 

[R9SCarry]

I also agree - vindicated.

I have to wonder tho how these guys deal with what must be huge doses of boredom.  Heck I have flown quite a lot but it is tedious in the extreme.  I do not envy them at all.

[Aglifter]

I actually had heard before that the approved technique for the suicide bombers is for someone to tackle the &^*( and someone run up and shoot the (*&*& in the head -- only place that might not have explosive, and fastest way to kill/stop the &*(&* from detonating the bomb -- although I'm ~96% sure that a bullet won't set off most plastic explosives... now, if it's something someone cooked up, then looking at it wrong might trigger it.