Break-in review

Kind of a low quality, mid-week shitpost, but I figured that this way relevant to this community as I know that we all end up training for that situation when we need to utilize a firearm for defense of self and others and its important to walk through the decision making process in these situations.This afternoon, I came home from the gym a few buildings over from my apartment. I gathered up some laundry, grab some of my wife’s dirty clothes to add to my not quite full yet hamper, and opened the shades to try and get some fresh air into my apartment, which I had not noticed until after taking a break from reading CME materials and stepping out and then back in. As I look out my window about to open it, I noticed a man peeling off the window screen in the middle of the afternoon of a first floor apartment. Its a basement apartment so the windows are at shin level from the outside. I see a man, approximately 6 feet tall, bald, approx 240lbs, in a green T shirt and blue jeans, prying the apparently unlocked window open from the outside. He is concealed behind bushes from ground level, but I am looking down on him from the adjacent building and from two stories up. As he flexes forward, his shirt lifts up and I can see that he does not have any weapons on his hip on posteriorly in his waistband. He is repeatedly stating “Frank!”. I dont know that neighbor. I’ve never seen this man before. I have no idea if anyone named Frank even lives in the building across from me. My rifle is two steps away next to my bed with a magazine inserted and an empty chamber (my wife and I do not have any children). I leave it where it is because at this point I haven’t seen any credible threat to human life. I dont know if this is an attempted B&E and the “Frank” thing is just a cover to see if anyone is home, I dont know if anyone is home, I dont know if its friend of the tenant and his tenant is wasted from the night before, I dont know if its the son of the tenant and concerned about “Frank’s” well-being. I don’t see any of what we refer to in medicine as escalation criteria. He abruptly disappears inside of the window and out of sight.Now I am stuck with three choices: ignore it and hope that this isn’t a crime in progress, go investigate it myself, or contact the police. I am not going to ignore what potentially could be either a crime in progress or a medical emergency, but I am not going to go personally investigate this matter myself (with or without a weapon). I contact the police, give them a clear description of the individual, an exact location, and as much detail as possible. I reiterate to both the initiate 911 dispatcher and the town police dispatcher that I did not see a weapon on the individual, that they were repeating calling for someone named “Frank”, and that I can not discern between whether this is a B&E or a medical emergency.When the first officer arrives on scene, he is confused as to where the location of the incident occurring. I told the dispatcher the south side of a specific building number, but he doesn’t appear to see the building numbers which are faded or maybe he lost his bearing and doesn’t know which way is south. From where he is standing, he can’t see the removed screen and open window because it is out of his line of sight behind some bushes. I make contact with him through my balcony, point to the apartment with the window in question, and advise him that I have not seen anyone come out. I repeat that I got a good view of his posterior waistband and did not see a weapon on him. Two more officers arrive and the man in the green shirt comes out of the front door to the apartment building right into the officers to make contact abruptly. He states that his father Frank is seriously ill and needs immediate medical attention. All officers go inside and a few moments later several come out, taking offer their vests while one radios in for EMS. Ten minutes later, “Frank” is removed via stretcher. EMS takes a verbal handoff from the officers and collects information from the man in the green shirt.Like I said, weekday shit post, but I am bored and figured there was some decent take home points from this.I know a lot of people who train like one day they are going to be tested. One day someone is going to break into their house, their neighbors house, or try and shoot up a farmer’s market that they are at and they need to be ready and absolutely not hesitate. Just because you have imagined such a scenario, as I am sure many of us have, don’t hastily misdiagnose a situation and try to make it this essential self defense scenario when you don’t have evidence that it is.Unless you see a credible and immediate threat of great bodily harm to yourself or others, leave your gun be. I’ve a loaded up AR with a TA31F and suppressor two feet away from me. I have a clear line of sight on the individual who may be committing a crime. Its the perfect tool for the job, but there is absolutely fucking zero indication to use it. This could be a breaking and entering. I have no idea on that. I dont know if anyone is home. Im not interjecting myself into what could be a stolen TV.Give clear communication while contacting emergency services. The two dispatchers both read the situation the same way that I instinctively did. They heard “man removing screen and climbing through window mid-day” and both started down the presumed burglary in progress presumption. Its essential that we disclose exculpatory information, especially when it is critical and need to know. I repeated that he was repeatedly saying a mans name with possible concern in his voice. I reiterate that this may be a medical emergency. I reiterate that I didn’t see any weapons. I do the same when the initial officer makes contact. After the incident he revealed to me that his terse handoff from his dispatcher omitted those last three things. My obvious concern is that if we leave these things out, then when the distressed man in the green shirt abruptly exits the building in front of three police officers with their hands resting on their holstered handguns, that he is at an elevated risk of being mistakenly shot.Don’t fucking removed screens and pry open peoples windows. Doing that in rural NH is a great way to get shot. The front office with maintenance staff was 60 seconds away. It took longer to break into the apartment than it would have to just grab one of the property staff and have them let you in when the tenant doesn’t answer and you exclaim concern for their well being.Anyways, thats all I got. Time to make dinner and get back to readings. via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/2xYvYVe