Hero Brooklyn cop had just one bullet to save partner - NY Post

rep308

rep308

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This is one brave officer. Between the doughnut and detail jokes, pay some respect to the people who find themselves on the wrong end of a gun. Yes the story has the usual factual errors about firearms

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/her_one_best_shot_JJjCGdPL9k292tKVvrzyHM

She only had one bullet -- but she made it count.

The clip in heroic Brooklyn cop Tara Hayes' gun dislodged as she rushed to save her partner from a deranged ex-con, leaving her just one round to fire at the madman before he could get a shot off, sources told The Post.

But Hayes hit her target with sniper-like precision -- striking heavily armed Michael Romero in the shoulder with a bullet that pierced his heart.

Hayes had rushed to the aid of Officer Sean Kelleher as he violently struggled with Romero over a loaded revolver.

The Anti-Crime Unit cops had summoned Romero to their unmarked car Thursday afternoon because he matched the description of a robbery suspect.

He refused to identify himself and shoved a .357-caliber revolver in Kelleher's face, kicking off the dramatic events.

As Hayes leaped out of the passenger seat, she somehow accidentally ejected the clip from her gun.

The quick-thinking cop caught it and slid it back in, sources said, but she hadn't truly locked the magazine into the gun -- which requires pointing the weapon toward the ground and pulling the slide back, the source said.

Hayes -- who had never before fired her weapon in her six-year career -- squeezed off the one bullet in the chamber, which ended Romero's life and saved her partner's.

In another twist, the loaded revolver that Kelleher and Romero grappled over miraculously didn't fire when Romero squeezed the trigger because there were only five bullets, not six, in the gun, sources said Friday.

That allowed Kelleher to jam the hammer with his thumb, sources said, which bought Hayes the split second she needed to spring into action.

After he was shot, the career criminal continued to struggle with Kelleher, sources said.

"She shot me. She shot me," Romero said, according to sources.

Finally his grip on the firearm weakened and Kelleher saw Romero's eyes flutter.

Cops recovered a loaded .44-caliber Ruger Magnum, a bag of marijuana, along with an electronic scale and two wallets filled with more than $2,100 in cash from Romero's backpack.

Hayes has since been holed up in her Brooklyn home, where she has received several congratulatory visits and phone calls from fellow officers.

Hayes, whose father is an FDNY retiree, is engaged to a city firefighter.
 
Good for her!

I'm glad the usual factual errors were so descriptive this time around.!

the story has the usual factual errors about firearms
 
As Hayes leaped out of the passenger seat, she somehow accidentally ejected the clip from her gun.

The quick-thinking cop caught it and slid it back in, sources said, but she hadn't truly locked the magazine into the gun -- which requires pointing the weapon toward the ground and pulling the slide back, the source said.
Click to expand...

I guess the reporters "source" is as gun ignorant as the media people themselves.

Tell me, what are the cops carrying nowadays that requires racking of the slide to lock the "clip" in place?
 
Zappa said:
I guess the reporters "source" is as gun ignorant as the media people themselves.

Tell me, what are the cops carrying nowadays that requires racking of the slide to lock the "clip" in place?
Click to expand...

Maybe one of those really tight ten round Glock magazines that you can't force in unless the slide is open.

That aside... this is a dupe, but it's a nice Easter miracle.
 
she hadn't truly locked the magazine into the gun -- which requires pointing the weapon toward the ground and pulling the slide back, the source said.
Click to expand...
Crap, all my pistols are defective then.

The mag locks in with just a tap on the baseplate, and without touching the slide at all.
 
Jose said:
Crap, all my pistols are defective then.

The mag locks in with just a tap on the baseplate, and without touching the slide at all.
Click to expand...

Jose, you are responding to an idiot who has no idea about what makes firearms work.

But, as sarcasm, it hits the mark.
 
rep308 said:
This is one brave officer. Between the doughnut and detail jokes, pay some respect to the people who find themselves on the wrong end of a gun. Yes the story has the usual factual errors about firearms
Click to expand...

We do, when they deserve it. This lady definitely deserves the respect, as does anyone who runs towards the sound of gunfire (metaphorically speaking, in this case).
 
I think it likely that the magazine dropped out on the draw due to hitting the magazine release, or because the magazine was never fully seated. I've seen Glocks do this reasonable frequently, maybe because of the design of the magazine catch or just not great magazines.
 
TheRoland said:
I think it likely that the magazine dropped out on the draw due to hitting the magazine release, or because the magazine was never fully seated. I've seen Glocks do this reasonable frequently, maybe because of the design of the magazine catch or just not great magazines.
Click to expand...

I've seen this happen to some local PO's that carry S&W M&P's.
For some reason, the mags like to fall out onto the seat of the cruiser.
 
Undoubtedly she was very lucky with this shot placement. You got to give her credit though... with all of the movement from the struggle, her own movement, and the adrenaline rush, she managed to get one good shot on center mass. Lucky to hit the heart, but good training and a cool head makes luck a little more likely. Good for her. (and on a side note, a bullet that cost less than a buck saved the city of NY millions!)
 
I'm not going to congratulate the broad for anything more than getting lucky. Sounds like lack of practice causing f***up on draw hence dropping the mag "somehow", and second failure in locking the mag back after initial failure, then lucky shot after two dickups.

Her partner is alive despite her actions, not really because of them. Hell, I'm not entirely sure her having a full magazine would have been the best thing... Could have made her sloppy.

Of course, I could be wrong and she might have done better than any of us in the same situation. And, I'll celebrate the death of a dirtbag, supposing he was a thief in addition to a pot dealer.
 
Zappa said:
I've seen this happen to some local PO's that carry S&W M&P's.
For some reason, the mags like to fall out onto the seat of the cruiser.
Click to expand...

I've seen this, too. Early runs had a too-weak magazine catch springs. And some badly-tested holsters push the release button. I think this is a different issue than with Glocks, in that there seems to be a clear cause. Likewise, Sigs have a problem where fully-loaded 10-round magazines can fail to seat unless the chamber is empty. Unseated magazines are, without a doubt, the most common failure mode of semi-autos.
 
Lamina said:
Sounds like lack of practice causing f***up on draw hence dropping the mag "somehow", and second failure in locking the mag back after initial failure, then lucky shot after two dickups.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say this. At yesterday's IDPA match, a very good Master-class shooter lost a magazine when drawing. I like to see patterns in manufacturers, but the truth is, sometimes, it happens.
 
My XD's are rough to seat full mags on closed slide... I actually download them one round because of it.
 
I agree... Sometimes it happens to the best. which is why I readily admit, I could be wrong.

But in my experience, the average cop views his or her service pistol as a part of the uniform, nothing more. They shoot it once or twice a year to qualify, and nothing more.

Cop/= good shot. Because of that, I'm more inclined to believe she got lucky, and nothing more.
 
vellnueve said:
Maybe one of those really tight ten round Glock magazines that you can't force in unless the slide is open.

That aside... this is a dupe, but it's a nice Easter miracle.
Click to expand...

I believe NYPD is a glock 17 world. Sounds like she pressed that god awfully big 2nd gen mag release.
 
Lamina said:
I'm not going to congratulate the broad for anything more than getting lucky. Sounds like lack of practice causing f***up on draw hence dropping the mag "somehow", and second failure in locking the mag back after initial failure, then lucky shot after two dickups.

Her partner is alive despite her actions, not really because of them. Hell, I'm not entirely sure her having a full magazine would have been the best thing... Could have made her sloppy.

Of course, I could be wrong and she might have done better than any of us in the same situation. And, I'll celebrate the death of a dirtbag, supposing he was a thief in addition to a pot dealer.
Click to expand...

[rolleyes]
 
Back atcha, champ.

I'm not posting specifically to be the "token anti cop a**h***", but I really don't care if that's what Ya'll think.
 
Lamina said:
Back atcha, champ.

I'm not posting specifically to be the "token anti cop a**h***", but I really don't care if that's what Ya'll think.
Click to expand...

No, I sort of figured it was more of a "internet commando" post.

Remind me again, how many armed suspects have you shot?
 
bostonasphalt2 said:
its not about hwo many suspect one has shot, but whether the person can draw from their holster successfully.
Click to expand...

You're assuming that the magazine came loose on the draw. It is just as likely, if not more so, that the magazine had come loose while the officers were sitting in the car on patrol. It happens regularly and can be due to any number of things, including bad seatbelt placement, poor holster design, or even defective magazine catches.

I know there are so many here that would have made a perfect draw and fired a perfect double-tap in between the perp's eyes in less than a second, with the second round out the barrel before the muzzle even flipped from the first shot. I would imagine that it takes a bit more discipline to make the shot if the perp has the drop on you and everything up to the shot has gone straight to shit.

Actually, this scenario seems like a great idea for the start of an IDPA stage.
 
Last edited:
vellnueve said:
No, I sort of figured it was more of a "internet commando" post.

Remind me again, how many armed suspects have you shot?
Click to expand...

bostonasphalt2 said:
its not about hwo many suspect one has shot, but whether the person can draw from their holster successfully.
Click to expand...

vellnueve said:
You're assuming that the magazine came loose on the draw. It is just as likely, if not more so, that the magazine had come loose while the officers were sitting in the car on patrol. It happens regularly and can be due to any number of things, including bad seatbelt placement, poor holster design, or even defective magazine catches.

I know there are so many here that would have made a perfect draw and fired a perfect double-tap in between the perp's eyes in less than a second, with the second round out the barrel before the muzzle even flipped from the first shot. I would imagine that it takes a bit more discipline to make the shot if the perp has the drop on you and everything up to the shot has gone straight to shit.

Actually, this scenario seems like a great idea for the start of an IDPA stage.
Click to expand...

How many armed suspects have I shot? Zero. How many times have I had to draw a pistol? A couple. How many times have I not lost it under fire? plenty. A few guys here can verify my "credentials".

I qualified my position. I stated that it is entirely possible that she just got stuck in a "murphy" situation and "did better than any of us would have"... but again, I doubt it. regardless of whether the mag coming out was her primary f***up or the result of private murphy kickin it, failing to correct the situation upon trying (per the article) was all on her.

Anyways, if calling me a keyboard commando makes you feel vindicated, be my guest.
 

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