U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- At about 6:47 a.m., a suspect identified as Sean Ernest Ruis was in a confrontation inside a Dimondale Quality Dairy store. Ruis was refused service for not wearing a mask. He allegedly stabbed a 77-year-old man while they were inside the store. Then Ruis drove off.
At 7:13, a deputy with the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office pulled Ruis over. The veteran female officer had 22 years of experience.
Ruis got out of the vehicle and moved toward the officer with weapons in his hands.
The officer attempted to increase distance, but Ruis accelerated toward her, and she fired shots to stop the attack. The officer continues to fire at Ruis as she attempts to increase the distance, and he attempts to make contact. Ruis uses a toe to heel advance technique, which is taught in some disciplines to close the distance quickly, without appearing to do so.
It was a very close thing. It appears Ruis and the officer made brief contact as she was firing at him.
From the video, it appears Ruis has a screwdriver with about an 8-inch blade in his left hand and a knife or scissors with about a 4-inch blade in his right hand.
It seems likely contact between the officer’s gun and Ruis’s hand caused a failure to feed in the deputy’s sidearm. The sidearm looks like a Glock 19.
The impact of the bullets had an effect. The officer cleared the malfunction and continued firing.
This is a classic example of the necessity of training in the Tueller Drill. Assailants with contact weapons can close the distance very rapidly. Even after being shot multiple times, attackers can have sufficient energy and will to close and make a deadly attack.
If, instead of a screwdriver in his left hand, the attacker had an edged weapon, the officer very likely would have been cut, and possibly lost control of the pistol.
Skilled knife users know to go after the weapon hand. It is the primary target to disable.
But bullets beat blades if the gun wielder has the skill and time to use them. In this case, the deputy made the right defensive moves. It was barely enough.
Ruis appears to have had some training or to have studied knife techniques. Still, displaying a contact weapon and then attacking an opponent armed with a firearm, smacks of desperation or, possibly suicide by deputy.
This tragic situation could have been avoided if the suspect had been able to control himself a bit better. It is unknown if intoxicants were involved.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Once again the media shows blatant disregard for accuracy and facts and any kind of research or knowledge. The officer did NOT reload, she cleared a jam as the author noted, but the press was only interested in getting the story out first and accuracy be damned.
The cop was lucky to be alive at the end of the incident. The bad guy knew he was going to jail. Appears to me he was suicidal and maybe wanted to take the cop with him. Street sweeper is correct, a round or two to the pelvis slows anyone down. A round in the femer bone would put a leg out of business also. It’s not easy to do under stress. It appears that the cop missed at least two rounds. I hope there’s nobody shot or dead in those houses down range. Things go sideways fast in situations… Read more »
Well done, officer. [The part of America that really matters] is very proud of you! We’re thankful for you and your dedication, and we’re sorry you were put in this predicament.
For those viewers who want to learn from this incident – great! For those who criticize her actions: if you haven’t walked in her shoes, just stfu.
Excellent job Deputy! Very well done. This shows how fast things escalate.
Her rate of fire was rather pathetic given the threat. It would be interesting to know if she had ever, in her “22 years of experience”, had to shoot a person before. There are lessons there for those that wish to learn them.
Notice how they pronounced his name “Rice” instead of “Ruis” (RU-Ess). He was a latino and you have to wonder if they were trying to hide the fact. Nevertheless the officer did well and we had a happy ending.
IMO at that close range you’re better off shooting at the pelvic girdle instead of center of mass. The attacker cannot advance with a shattered pelvis no matter how much adrenaline and drugs he has in him.
Suicide By Cop. This rabid vermin WANTED to be put down.
Won’t be national news, cuz he doesn’t appear to be black.
I hope all the idiots who think you don’t need more bullets in your mag are watching. Ooops no, they do not care when a cop or anyone else gets killed.