It’s hard to be a cop. Of that I have no doubt. I’m sure they go through extensive training to help them deal with situations like suicidal jumpers, barricaded wackos and hostage takers. And while I’ve certainly never had that kind of training, I feel confident in saying that this isn’t how cops are taught to handle the hostage scenario up here. Or maybe anywhere else. From the video description: “demonstrating the effective use of the shotgun to precisely end a hostage situation by placing the front sight on the ear of the hostage taker and allowing HALF the normal pattern to strike the hostage taker in the cranio-ocular cavity, and leaving the hostage unscathed.”

Thanks to AI member Zaldivarbigboy for tipping us off to the video via Liveleak.com and providing a partial translation:

The guy is demostrating his skills with his personal shotgun and goes on to say he knows his gun and the patterns it can produce so he is confident in taking a shot at a hostage taker with a shotgun from distace. The same guy procedes to take the shot with a real live hostage as a demostration…then goes on to say I normally can land the group further from the head of the hostage but this is fast reaction time so the shot was closer to the hostage than I wanted. He asks the hostage actor if he was hit and or ok.

Makes you wonder how much they had to pay the guy acting as the hostage. Or what he did to deserve that duty. And also what it took to clean his shorts. As the Mythbusters lawyers make the hosts say, don’t try this at home. Ever.

18 COMMENTS

  1. You guys have to watch this video. I could not believe my eyes as I saw and understood what they were about to do. It took me a second to realize they were going to shoot at the paper target with a live hostage and live rounds in place.

    I got feelings of anxiety and was truly afraid of the potential outcome.

    What ever happen to don’t point the gun to something you do not wish to destroy. I guess its less liability if they shoot one of their own in practice than a real live hostage.

  2. In the book “Inside Delta Force”, Eric Haney describes the hostage rescue portion of Delta training as being something like what is done in the video. Each team member learns to trust every other team member with their lives when they have to sit in a “hostage chair” with only a small portion of a kidnapper target exposed behind them as the team breaks into the room and proceeds to shoot that target. ‘Course, they were using .45 autos during this drill, not shotguns. Still, it does show the level of trust as well as skill required to be a member of such an elite team.

  3. There’s another video, it may even be the same instructor, floating around where they are demonstrating the same drill with an AK-47 and shooting from the hip. Seriously.

    It does not go as well as the above example. He doesn’t completely let the hydraulic fluid out but the shooter definitely creates a leak.

    When I watch these types of vids I have the same emotional reaction as Zaldivar. Ironically, I can watch bad guys getting getting aired out or Hellfire smacked all day long and chuckle.

  4. If someone anticipates that they may need a shotgun to make a hostage rescue shot maybe they should stock a slug or two on a side carrier. Or maybe draw the pistol they presumably also carry.

  5. Ummmm….. no. On second thought, hell no.

    As to the homage of Delta Force performing the live hostage training drill….. that comes after extensive training. It is a pinnacle moment done after so much shooting that the weapons are extensions of the men. It is not a hazing exercise and it definitely is not done with a shotgun.

    As to this, I am thankful that no one was hurt. And anyone with access should do everything possible to stop this madness.

    • ‘Flu!? They should eat more fresh fruit! Right! Now, self-defense!

      Tonight I shall be carrying on from where we got to last week, when I was showing you ‘ow to defend yourselves against anyone who attacks you armed with a piece of fresh fruit!

  6. I won’t even watch this lunacy. What Delta shooters do is different; they shoot 100,000 rounds a year and, they train so intensely they synchronize their heartbeats when firing sniper rifles. And they don’t, ever, put it on YouTube.

  7. Hey, I’m just glad they gave the guy hearing protection. It would be a shame for him to also lose his hearing if he lost part of his head. Of course, I did notice there was no eye protection. I guess they figured that they probably wouldn’t do much good against a head on (ha!) blast from a shotgun anyway.

  8. Stupidity, utter and complete stupidity. A new low.

    These morons dont seem to realize that no one would ever attempt a trick like this unless there was no other option.

    Practice with paper targets and pray to got you never need to put your skills to the test.

  9. I practice with the hostage target at AFS and I’m pretty good, but I always manage to blow off the side of the good guys head at least once. Now that’s with taking my time and the target is still and there’s zero pressure. I wouldn’t try it in real life cuz the hostage has a better chance of being released than saved by me.

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