Lots of heroes in this story.
As compelling as it was, I can’t help but also see the lessons it teaches us about situational awareness, safety techniques in the fray, and first aid.
What takeaways do you glean from this clip?
Heartbreaking.
(I stumbled across this video footage of a perpetrator attacking a police officer, forgot where I first saw it, might have been on another post here this week)
Excellent video and lessons learned. Good analysis and advice.
Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Don’t approach.
Call LE, even for “simple trespass”
Carry your gun on your person, not in your car. If you were the initial target, a gun in your car isn’t doing jack crap. IDK it’s not on camera, but maybe even the hero Ranger’s response was slowed because he had to go get his gun from his car first, IDK.
You never know when or where the crap will hit the fan, always be ready, and avoid all avoidable confrontations
False sense of security 
Didn’t watch the whole video. But from the first few minutes:
Knives are scary and deadly.
Running away only works if you are much faster than the attacker or can get to a safe place before they can get to you.
Sometimes it is better to strike back and risk being stabbed a few times. Especially if fighting back or trying to get control of the knife keeps the knife away from vital areas like the neck, heart or femoral artery.
I was doing this exact drill today with my martial arts coach. It is pretty much impossible to win without getting cut. You have to try to do more damage to them than they are doing to you and hopefully create an opening to get to your firearm or other weapon without giving them a clear opening to inflict severe damage on you.
You can see similar training flaws going down in the Lakewood Church active-shooter incident. Listen to what a 30-year police veteran (20 of those in SWAT) says in the commentary of the Lakewood Church incident. Start cutting PD departments to the quick, and training is reduced because officers are overworked. With some intense training, this young LEO would most likely still be with us. Training is everything, in particular, with LE, military, or most any other first-responder professions.
This Officer was the first in New Mexico to die this year.(2024)
The second died in his Patrol Car 1-2 weeks ago on a lonely road
outside any town aiding a stranded motorist—he never got out of the car.
This POS threw his body in the dirt to bleed out and took the Troopers car.
ANIMALS.
They went to HELP someone and let them get too close (both times)
I’m NOT saying what’s right or wrong today. That I will leave for others.
Personally, I can’t run anymore. Not on these stilts. So my best chances are
distance. YES, it’s unavoidable the attacker(s) know when they are going to
pounce we don’t. YES SA fails sometimes also. Ship Happens.
All we can do is learn and be aware.
My heart goes out to both Warriors and their families, to all Law Enforcement.
It is Criminal what .gov is doing to them and us. CRIMINAL.
The take away (for me) in this Vid is YOU NEVER KNOW.
Carry all the time
Know your weapon
BE READY TO PULL IT!
wake the phuck up
Train-up your family
Trust your Intuition, If it feels hokey… GTFO!
Don’t go to GFZ’s if you can avoid them
Because when the SHTF we are all we are going to have.
There is NO Calvary anymore just over the rise.
YOU are your own First Responder.
BACK THE BLUE!
WWG1WGA
Heartbreaking to watch. I wish he’d had another officer there.
Brother, There is no back-up in these little cities/towns in New Mexico
Years ago they called it the ’ Thin Blue Line’
Now there is the non-existent line.
We have to have other Enforcement entities overlap
just to get bare minimum of Police coverage.
Some Sub stations are closed over night
There has been no chatter of calling the (311) non emergency line (yet)
but the Citizenry here KNOW that you need to protect yourself.
The Joke is not funny anymore about call (911) and wait (45) minutes
for a Cop to show up. That’s a wish we would crave now these days.
We had a GUNFIGHT (2) months ago. Blocks away. I heard the exchange.
Volleys fired (Into a house)
Volley’s fired (from the house)
then an exchange of fire from both sides (an estimated (150) rounds. Not exaggerating, I couldn’t count them accurately but I know a Fire Fight when I hear one. Suspected Migrant way-station, sex trafficking hiding in plain site.
Neighbors reported people in and out at all hours and it wasn’t for Burgers.
NO POLICE RESPONSE for HOURS! literally Hours. Neighbors homes peppered with gun shots. You can cover up a lot of stuff when you have enough .gov bread but pissed off citizens w/ windows blown out will be happy to show you the scars of a fire fight! Tell their tales of woe, They told me.
By the time they showed miraculously all combatants disappeared===Shocking!
and News crews don’t show up in person out here anymore and stand outside a crime scene. They use Police blotters now and tell bare minimum of what happened.
The TRUTH is the News here is "Half a Story’ (if that) They phone it in–worthless POS’s.
If anyone here feels ALONE and Isolated …How does a Cop feel?
One of my daughter’s best friends is a cop. I saw how he changed from happy-go-lucky to head on a swivel now that he works in one of the most dangerous cities in the entire nation.
How can you not today?
It’s called SURVIVAL Instincts.
It’s all well and good for some people here to Negatively
say WE Members talk about Protecting ourselves too much
and We talk about possibly having a fight w/ certain factions
of this Socialist .gov …again How can you not talk about the crap they are trying to impose on us? They are trying to destroy our Beloved Country.
These Cops are under staffed and way passed under appreciated!
They need to ramp up their tactic’s against the daily assaults on their very lives
and now Millions of Terrorists are added to assault their thinning lines (and OUR’S).
It’s EVIL.
It seems that the good for nothing perp walked into the “21ft rule” knowing he could attack. The officer probably should’ve stayed further away until he knew better who he may be dealing with. Unfortunately, looking back at the tragedy, there’s a lot of “should’ves” we can try and glean but at least going forward. Perhaps LEOs can modify their practices since the influx of violent people and the increase of drugged up punks is becoming more the regular norm. I can’t stand seeing LEOs getting targeted and killed by no purpose losers.
Makes me want to say, “shoot first and ask later” but that’s just my anger toward these evil inhuman punks.
I pray God will be with the family of the fallen hero.
Thanks all.
“Distance in between” came to mine as others have pointed out. Amazing how fast distance can get closed-in.
Traveling in pairs or more, good first aid kits, education/training. Join your friends, join your family member, don’t them go it alone.
I’m not blaming the good guys of course (we’re all family); Individuals have responsibility, and as our brethren here pointed out, life has no guarantees, it can be a challenging battle, and there is evil out there.
But I also wondered about “managers”; Should managers/supervisors of LEO’s be ensuring the frontline workers have the knowledge and tools they need? Not unlike a worried parent. Re-testing them thoroughly.
Maybe they did in this case, or not, either way — if they save and ‘show films’ as part of training — some might include “What to do”, others “What not to do”.
Respect.
One of my forefathers was also a LEO, killed in the line of duty. Washington DC has a nice ‘End of Watch’ memorial for all our fallen U.S. LEO’s:
This is a ducked up video all the way around. But you have to ask yourself especially if you are a cop, can I and will I pull and shoot to defend yourself. Our current society has seemingly taken that right away from cops except in the absolute worst instances. Cops are doubting themselves and that will kill you.
Tragically, in this case, the cop made 21 feet even shorter.
First LE who died in the line of duty in our little town since before WWII was just as trusting, a real nice guy I personally had the privilege of meeting when he called me about my son instead of booking him. 
My take;
He was doing his job on a frequent flyer,… no real threat there, just someone looking to go back to the pen for a free ride.
Which leads to a lack of situational awareness, and closing too close range.
He seemed to keep closing distance while asking questions even tho the perp had his hands hidden.
Zero knife/hand to hand training.
The first thing that crossed my mind watching that video in real time was “pin/catch his wrist!”
That’s where the weapon is.
Control the weapon, control the fight.
Mi last dos pesos on this,
Once again, I AM NOT A COP BASHER
Secondly I AM NOT A DEAD Cop Basher
And I know NOTHING of how NEW MEXICO cops are trained
out here in my neck of the woods.In the 80’s and 90’s Departments relied
on L.A.P.D and other shops across the country for their man power.
That well has run dry sadly. The ex-military has run dru here also.
If you retired from the AF and fell in love w/ NM you were hired on the spot.
But jobs and pay suck here and good Experience now goes elsewhere.
I DO know that smaller forces like Las Cruces (on the Texas Border)
Don’t get as much training as Albuquerque/Santa Fe. It’s just a sad fact.
IF you decide to be a Cop out here and you wish additional training you
have to pay for it yourself. Same Same w/ better Body Armor, duty kit and Firearms.
This poor kid walked right up on the suspected Trespasser.
Looked to me like a ‘Hey, how ya doing’, What’s up?’
There have been bad shoots, bad gun play,muzzle discipline since I moved
here in the mid 90’s. The training is simply not there as this vid shows. I will not fault this guy except there was zero caution, none.(and he died for that)
I’ve seen kids in the Military greenhorns, boots walk around like they are patrolling a theme park, kick stuff! (and lose a foot!) Smoking and Joking right up till some badass takes their head. You stick to a Vet like phuckin’ glue until that Gunner say’s ‘You’re good to go!’
These young Cops don’t have that…and they are ALONE!
Back-up in this case didn’t matter. The gunner that offed the Scum**g did his job
but a carotid artery is a game ender.
I hated watching it
but it taught me something (reminded me actually)
Never under estimate your opponent.
Don’t take unnecessary risks.
SA on @ all times.
Be careful !
Please folks be careful
@Burdo - Yes, this is a management problem. They are responsible to keep their first-responder officers trained in the fundamentals (distance; cover; analysis of a threat, when to call in backup; something as basic as ‘raise your hands above your head and keep them raised’; interview from a distance: get the full name, then call it in and have the department run a check, etc…). All of the points you mentioned and the ones covered by the hosts of the video are basic elements in training. They are basic in USCCA training and also covered in detail on the Christian Warrior Training site.
I am not sure why the officer got that close to the individual. Walking backwards after the attack started did not help either for the officer. My heart goes out to his family on this tragic loss. I definitely think there will be much to learn for both law Enforcement and Civilians. I am also glad the civilian came to help even though he could not make it in time for the officer.
Thanks.
I can appreciate that such as issuing commands with high volume voice, “stop”, Do not come any closer". I’m not sure if this vid captured every single word. I realize civilians cannot always say the exact same things an officer could, but trying to create distance and time - even for just a second(s) might help us think and defend better.
In the vid, I honestly could not see the knife until the assailant was right on top of the officer. It happened so fast, hard to focus on any one thing.
Once years ago, a man attacked me similarly but with a bat, I got struck, I was not carrying a SD tool. A bystander yelled at the man to tell him I was an innocent waiting for a bus ride to work. He ran off, then I noticed somehow he was found down on the floor inside a store with broken glass from newly shattered window. Store workers knew he struck me and asked if I wanted to wait as the police were on the way. It was my first day on a job, of all days, did not want to lose that job, so I just left the scene and caught my bus. I was just a kid.
I really need to investigate a good and easy to use body cam. For my vehicle and if I can find a portable one with audio for on body.
USCCA pro tip brief vid on trying to read body language: