This is the second time today I’ve read about a concealed permit holder defending themselves against an armed attacker. This on in from of the police department.
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Here’s the Chicago incident.
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Ok, that first one is remarkable on several accounts… in a police station parking lot, an FBI agent on hand, and the bad guy admitted he was attacking and she acted in self defense 
Sounds like the LEOs did everything right including her immediate release. Sounds like she did everything right including warning him off as he approached her.
The second one sounds legit on the slim details that are there, although it doesn’t give much to go on.
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I wonder why the anti-steering wheel lock people haven’t made this headline news?! 
I’m glad he did admit everything as well. I’d be interested in hearing more of his thinking on why he felt he had to enforce parking issues when he was at a police station? Why he thought swinging a metal steering wheel lock at her was the appropriate way to handle a parking issue? Was it worth it being both shot and maybe serving a 5 year sentence in prison?
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Dang! Ok I have to wonder about the woman’s phrasing in the first incident (the bold italic phrase):
“I’m screaming for help at the top of my lungs. No one would help me. I was scared. I felt like my life was in danger,” she said.
She fired one shot and hit Drier in the leg.
…
"I didn’t want to shoot to kill… I felt like I didn’t need to do anything more. All I wanted was help, and that was my help," she said.
I’m very surprised that she shot him in the leg and was released by the Chicago police. The only time we’re allowed to use lethal force (a firearm is considered lethal force) is when we’re in imminent danger of death or grave bodily harm. I agree she was in imminent danger, but a leg shot is against what we’re trained to do. What if she would have missed? She was in a populated area.
I’m very glad she’s OK and was able to defend herself and that the police released her.
And the second article said the man shot once - to the head. Again, against what we’re trained. This guy was being threatened with a gun, so I’m totally good with his use of a firearm. But a headshot to start? Unusual. Maybe he was aiming center mass and with all of the adrenaline hit the other guy in the head?
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@Dawn - I thought about what you’re pointing to in the first case as well…
On the screaming for help part… where was that FBI agent then? Maybe he was on his way to the scene and just arrived a few seconds too late. Maybe he was ignoring it and didn’t get involved until she fired. Maybe he wasn’t on-site for that part of it. Not enough info to go on in the article.
On the shot in the leg part - I’m going to go with “not enough info” there too - maybe she is an outstanding shot and had options and chose deliberately to shoot him in the leg, that’s not clear to me from what’s there. Its not what we’re trained to do, but we don’t know what she was trained to do. Maybe in the press of the fight, holding off the guy’s attack, that’s what she could get lined up on and she fired because she had the opportunity to do that. We don’t know how far from her muzzle that leg was - could even have been point contact. I read the fight to be she was physically holding off the steering wheel bar so point contact might be possible and she might not have been able to get clear to center mass. Her “I didn’t feel like I needed to do anything more” might mean she didn’t feel she needed to shoot him again - rather than she didn’t feel she needed to shoot center mass - and that would be consistent with what we’re taught. It could mean that the threat had ended so she did no more.
Basically I felt we don’t have enough information to evaluate if that was pure choice, bad strategy, or her most expedient option during an inside-arms-length struggle.
I had the same questions as you on incident #2 - was that a choice? Not what we’re trained to do, but… again we don’t know his training, experience, or circumstances - not what we’re trained to do for sure, but as we’ve had some enthusiastic discussions on this forum regarding headshots, their practicality, legal advisability and what people are taught, there could be a lot of different things going on there. Definitely not enough information to tell.
Maybe she’s saw the recent USCCA video from Kevin on close quarters shooting and was going for the pelvic girdle, in the course of defending herself or anticipating the shot instead of the stomach/pelvic girdle the muzzle dipped and she shot the leg. 
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Good one Brophe. You sound like a potential defense attorney. 
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Always be prepared for the what if this/that.
It’s easy to raise reasonable doubt. Nothing to say you can’t answer a question with a what if or another question.
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