Bystander fires to scare man threatening woman
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - Police in Everett say a bystander fired a shot into the air to scare a man who had been chasing a woman and threatening her with a knife.
Police Officer Aaron Snell said the man with the knife stopped chasing the woman Wednesday afternoon and was detained by several other people until police arrived and arrested him for unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon. Police say the woman fled.
Snell says the man and woman had been involved in a domestic dispute.
The 61-year-old Arlington man who fired his pistol told police he'd ordered the man with the knife to stop chasing the woman. Fearing for her safety, the bystander says he fired one shot.
Snell says police spoke to the man who fired his gun. They don't expect to pursue any charges against him.
Police Officer Aaron Snell said the man with the knife stopped chasing the woman Wednesday afternoon and was detained by several other people until police arrived and arrested him for unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon. Police say the woman fled.
Snell says the man and woman had been involved in a domestic dispute.
The 61-year-old Arlington man who fired his pistol told police he'd ordered the man with the knife to stop chasing the woman. Fearing for her safety, the bystander says he fired one shot.
Snell says police spoke to the man who fired his gun. They don't expect to pursue any charges against him.
he should have shot the knife out of his hand.......
For all those who asked for examples of how a gun saved someone, here you go.
the man should have fired the gun at the offender instead of in the air , that bullet has to come down and could hit anyone.
 @nunof uors You watch too many movies.
Agree that firing a shot into the air isn't the best thing to do is it better to let the woman get knifed up by the guy chasing her. It didn't say how close or how far the man who fired the shot was from them. He might have been to far for him to get a good shot off. He might have then hit somebody else. A bullet falling back down from the sky is less deadly than him hitting somebody else in cross fire.
While I appreciate that an armed citizen was able to come to the aid of another. As a law abiding licensed concealed carry gun owner, I first took gun training classes before I started to carry. Shooting up in the air is just reckless, potentially endangering other innocent bystanders.
We have to take a driverâs test in order to drive a car, yet there is no test when you apply for a gun permit. I believe any improvements to citizen gun safety should be aimed at making sure people can pass a test showing knowledge of gun safety and mental stability before issuing a license.
Clearly this man needs more training.
 @SchönLicht Michigan requires a training course before issuing a carry permit. I always thought it was useless, but I've had good habits taught to me early. I'd like to see WA add this requirement, but at a reasonable cost. This is also why WA CPL's are not reciprocated with MI CPL.
Good Sheepdog, but please next time just aim at the man with the knife instead of the sky.
RCW 9A.16.050 would have probably covered his butt if he shot the guy. Shooting into the air, as stated by many, is just stupid and irresponsible.
@SheltonDavey ..I agree, that bullet must come down. No doubt his actions saved a life but as you said they were irresponsible. I think the police probably told him as well so hopefully he is now better aware.
what, no no no you do not draw your weapon unless you intend to use it. You do not use it unless you intend to kill. You never fire into the air.Tthis was reckless endangerment.  He Should be charged as such,before the bashing starts I have a CPL and I carry. We need to see consitancy in the enforcement of the law no picking and choosing. The law is the law...
@sallad You are a bureaucratic idiot. You must work for the government.
Real nice, we got another moron with a permit. So you are saying you only pull your gun to shoot someone, or just stand there and watch . I don't think I would have shot him, weary of going to prison.
@sallad And that is the problem with the gun laws we have. The POS with the knife should be dealing with lead poising today. The laws are such that if the buystander had shot him the shoter would be the one in jail. He did the right thing and EVPD is letting it slide as under the curent gun law he should go to jail for a felany dishcharge of a gun. All that the gun laws do is make crimnals out of law obiding people. The EVPD know that if the man had not steped in and done something they would be after the other for murder and it would have taken a lot more time and money then talking to him and slapping his wrist and sending him home with no donut....
 @sallad
What would charging him accomplish? While I agree that firing warning shots is completely inappropriate under nearly all circumstances, there's no need to ruin a guy who was trying to do the right thing's life just because he did something less than ideal.
Dangerouse to fire into the air. He should have just shot the waste of air with the knife, a few times at least.
How is shooting into the air more dangerous than into the ground?
 @Komo Dragon People get killed all the time by bullets falling back from the sky. I'm not making this up. Look up 'celebratory gunfire' on Wikipedia.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire
 @KH  @Komo Dragon "All the time" may be an exaggeration. And celebratory gunfire typically involves MANY guns and even more bullets being fired into the air. Do the math. The chance of a single .358 inch wide bullet hitting a person randomly is astronomical.
@KH ok,I read it. Terminal velocity is able to penetrate skin. It seems to me that non vertical discharges are the problem. Hitting the ground can be pretty dangerous when the bullet ricochets. I am not convinced. Thanks for the link, though!
Shooting into the air is irresponsible and dangerous. You don't know where that round is going to come down and what it is going to hit. If you need to fire your weapon, you fire center mass to stop the threat. If the shot hadn't stopped the guy it very well could have caused him to be able to catch up with her and stab her. If someone is threatening someone else or yourself with a knife that is a deadly threat and one worthy of lethal force in response. That said, it's good he was able to stop the threat without killing anybody, intentionally or otherwise with his stray round.
 @dg54321 He could have been charged with attempted manslaughter in that case. Self defense laws might not apply when you are is not being threatened yourself.Â
 @KH  @dg54321 RCW 9A.16.110 - Defending against violent crimeÂ
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"No person in the state shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting by any reasonable means necessary, himself or herself, his or her family, or his or her real or personal property, or for coming to the aid of another who is in imminent danger of or the victim of assault, robbery, kidnapping, arson, burglary, rape, murder, or any other violent crime as defined in RCWÂ 9.94A.030."
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http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.16.110
 @KH  @dg54321 i think it would also cover those who are protecting others.
 @dg54321 Knowing nothing about the situation, circumstances or how anything happened and granted that firing in to the air is generally a bad idea...
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We don't know what the scene looked like (was there a school bus down range from the shooter to his intended target?) or what other mitigating circumstances would have made the decision to not actually aim at the target. Â
Good for the law abiding citizen who was armed likely just saved that woman's life, hopefully next time he'll fire into the ground. Glad no one was hurt. I was really surprised to read this story on komo as these pro Civil Rights via 2nd Amendment stories like these usually only end up on Conservative news/blogs.
@gastoys
No arguments that firing without a backstop is not a good idea, but not being familiar with the area, maybe all available ground was paved over â so it was a potential ricochet problem â which could be worse.
AHHHH... It's a story with a happy ending for all gun owners.Â
 @Just my say He should have fired into the ground with an assault weapon.Â
:-)Â
@Just my say nothing to do with gun ownership, but everything to do with Civil Rights
 @gastoys There are so many story's that have ban this or ban that in the comments, that when I read this I was going for the whole "oh goody, no banning" thing. I know it is civil rights.Â
 @Just my say I'll bet the woman who was being chased thinks it is a happy ending.
Â
I carry but firing in the air is a bad idea, a shoot into grass or dirt would have been a better way to do it.
 @Iarehere I agree but if he was in the concrete jungle he may not have had that option.
@Ned @Iarehere Still a better option. Kudos for having a pair and not waiting for police and coroner to arrive.