Preparation & Focus

The Guy Smith incident

• Brian McKenna
• Law Officer Volume 5 Issue 9
• 2009 Sept 1

There was no reason to expect trouble on this night. After all, it was just a part-time security job. Easy money, most would call it, but Cpl. Guy Smith, a 32-year-old veteran of the mid-size city police department, didn’t see things that way. He’d been hired by the owner of the small, inner-city grocery store after a number of holdups had occurred in the area. Still, it had been 11 months since he’d taken the job and nothing had happened so far. It would have been easy to slip into complacency, but Smith had had too many close calls during his nine years on the job—most of them in the city’s roughest neighborhoods—to play anything “cheap.”

Besides, he took all of his duties seriously, and the store’s security was his responsibility. In fact, when he’d first been asked to work there, Smith agreed to take the job only if a video surveillance system was installed. Under his direction, cameras had been placed at key points throughout the store and the monitor was placed in the store’s back office, where the safe was also kept. From there, Smith guarded the safe while also monitoring everything going on inside the store, without being seen by customers.

Smith had come directly to the market after completing his regular day shift at the department and was still in uniform, as required by department policy when working off-duty security. After greeting the store employees and checking the positions of the surveillance cameras, he sat down in front of the monitor in the office, fully expecting an uneventful shift but alert, nonetheless. His job was made easier by the fact that the front door was equipped with a bell that sounded every time someone entered the store, making it possible for him to briefly shift his attention during lulls in business and then back again whenever anyone came inside.

As the hours went by and it neared closing time, Smith was watching two women shoppers when three men came into the store and began walking casually down the aisles as if shopping. It appeared that one of them knew one of the women, because he stopped briefly to talk to her—a commonplace occurrence in this small neighborhood market. At this point, there was nothing about the men’s behavior or appearance to cause Smith any concern, but that soon changed.

After making their purchases, the women left the store, with the three men following close behind. Then, as soon as the door closed behind the women, all three men turned around and headed toward the checkout counter at the back of the store, immediately putting Smith on high alert. As they moved deeper inside, one of them, later identified as a local 17-year-old named Louis Bonner, split off to his left and headed toward the back office, while 21-year-old Tarrence Mitchell paused near the center of the store. The third, a 22-year-old three-time loser named Almetric Debrow, headed straight for the cash register, drew a large autoloader and pointed it at the cashier.

Smith felt a surge of anger. He’d been working at the store for almost a year, and everyone in the neighborhood knew it. So why had they chosen this store to rob? The thought had barely entered his mind when things took a turn for the worse. Bonner was now just outside the office, not more than a few yards from its open door, holding a revolver gangster-style in his right hand and pointing it at store clerk Johnny Hall. Hall, who had been sweeping the floor near the office when Bonner came toward him, had decided to put up a fight by trying to knock the gun out of the gunman’s hand with the broom handle. It was a valiant but futile move. Bonner had simply jerked the gun back, blocked the broom with his left arm, and then shoved Hall backward. Realizing he’d only made things worse, Hall dropped the broom and raised his hands in submission. In response, Bonner grabbed him, spun him around and pushed him toward the open doorway of the office.

Meanwhile, Smith, having witnessed the brief confrontation on the monitor, immediately made up his mind to use deadly force. The threat to life was too grave to ignore, and it was his job to stop it. His position inside the office was keeping him out of Bonner’s sight for now, but he couldn’t stand up without being seen and Bonner was coming right at him. Staying seated, he drew his .40 caliber Glock 22, leaving it down next to his holster where it would be out of sight, and waited.

Suddenly, Hall was propelled through the doorway by a powerful shove from Bonner. He stumbled forward and crashed headlong into Smith. Although surprised by the turn of events, Smith was undaunted. Staying calm and now fully focused on protecting Hall, he saw an opportunity here. Before, Hall had been between him and Bonner, which would have made it very difficult to fire without putting Hall in danger, but now Smith had a chance to remove him from the line of fire. He quickly shoved the startled clerk off to his right, sending him crashing into a wall but well out of danger.

As he turned to deal with Bonner, he saw the gunman’s revolver looming so close he could read the words “.38 S&W Special” imprinted on its barrel. He heard Bonner growl, “Gimme that gun!”

Bonner repeated the command, more angrily this time, but Smith had already made his decision. Instantly, he did what he had been trained to do. Leaping up from his chair, he slammed his left hand into Bonner’s right arm, knocking the gun well off to Smith’s right side, and he was still moving forward. Crashing into his startled assailant’s upper body, he thrust the Glock forward until it nearly touched his chest and snapped off two shots. Without a word, Bonner recoiled slightly from the first round, spun to his right as the second shot tore into his back, and slumped to the floor. He remained there motionless as Smith kicked the gun away.

Smith turned toward the doorway, where he spotted Tarrence Mitchell, the suspect who had paused briefly near the center of the store, running away from the office. Only seconds earlier Mitchell had been approaching the open office door, apparently intending to give Bonner a hand, but Smith’s devastating counterattack had convinced him to seek safer pasture.

Although Smith didn’t see a gun in Mitchell’s hand, he knew the holdup man at the cash register, Almetric Debrow, was armed and a clear menace to his safety. He was determined not to let either of the two escape. Cautiously, he moved toward the doorway.

Then, just before Smith reached the threshold, he heard a gunshot and a bullet slammed into the doorframe just inches in front of his face. It was a .45 caliber slug from Debrow’s gun, but, like Mitchell, Debrow lacked the stomach for a fight. As close as the round had come to striking Smith’s head, Debrow had fired it haphazardly by thrusting it backward under his left arm as he ran for the front door.

Smith followed, pausing only briefly at the front door to scan for danger and locate the fleeing suspects. Almost immediately, he spotted Mitchell running down the sidewalk to his right, and went after him. He’d been trained to stay off to one side of suspects during foot pursuits to confuse them about his exact whereabouts and make it easier to spot any threatening movement they might make. In keeping with his training, he swung out wide to the left of his quarry as he gave chase.

Then, without warning, another gunshot cracked as a ball of flame burst ahead of him. His attention had been so focused on catching Mitchell that he hadn’t noticed a Ford SUV stopped in the street about 75 yards away. Standing halfway inside the vehicle’s right front door was Debrow, and he was firing the lethal .45 at Smith again, but this time with deliberate aim.

Dropping to one knee to make himself a smaller target, Smith immediately returned fire as more rounds came at him from the SUV. The exchange of gunfire was intense but brief. Seconds later, Mitchell dove into the right rear door of the Ford, and the gunfire ceased as the vehicle sped from the scene.

Although physically unscathed, Smith was hit hard with fear for his fellow officers as he headed back into the store. He felt that he could have somehow done more to stop the assailants, and the idea that another officer or an innocent citizen might come to harm at their hands concerned him gravely. Pushing aside his disappointment, Smith focused on doing what he could to assist in apprehending the suspects. He keyed the mic on his portable radio and tried to call in their description, vehicle information and direction of travel, but was again disappointed. The radio was dead. Now realizing that he’d forgotten to exchange its battery for a fresh one before leaving the station, he used the store telephone to make the call, ensured Bonner’s gun was well out of the downed gunman’s reach and checked Bonner’s vital signs.

The Aftermath
Smith was correct: Bonner showed no pulse or other signs of life. The first .40 caliber hollowpoint from Smith’s gun had entered Bonner’s right chest and penetrated his right lung before exiting his back, causing a devastating wound, but Smith’s second round had been the fatal blow. It entered his upper left back and then sliced its way through his heart before exiting his torso, killing him within seconds of impact.

Debrow and Mitchell were apprehended within the next few days with the help of evidence gathered from the surveillance tapes, but the driver of the getaway car was never identified. Debrow was later convicted of armed robbery and attempted murder of a police officer and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mitchell was convicted of robbery and sentenced to eight years. After the shooting, the holdups that had been plaguing the area for so long ceased.

Cpl. Smith was later promoted to sergeant and is still with the same department, where he serves as a detective supervisor.

Discussion & Analysis
Cpl. Smith took his responsibilities seriously, even when working his secondary security job at the store. As a result, he was prepared not only for the robbery when it occurred, but for the severe escalation in danger presented when Bonner attempted to disarm him at gunpoint. His high level of preparation, training and mental toughness enabled him to respond with devastating effectiveness and terminate the threat despite the odds against him.

There’s a great deal more to be learned from this incident—lessons that can save lives—and we owe it to Cpl. Smith to learn as much as we can from them.

An in-depth analysis of this case reveals a number of crucial learning points, including lessons about the proper equipment to carry when working off-duty security jobs, whether to wear a uniform or plain clothes when moonlighting, how to respond to close-range armed attacks, post-shooting considerations, a winning mindset and how to counter tunnel vision.

Space limitations prevent us from printing a full discussion of these hard-won lessons in our magazine, but a thorough analysis of this critical incident is posted on our Web site, LawOfficer.com. You can find it at www.lawofficer.com/officerdown. Before you read it, however, review the discussion questions on p.47 and work through your answers.

Stay safe.

 

Discussion Questions

• Cpl. Smith took his responsibilities very seriously, including his responsibility to keep the store employees and customers safe. As a result, he was well prepared when the robbery occurred, as well as for Bonner’s attempt to disarm him. How important is it to take off-duty employment seriously? How can we do a better job of preparing mentally for threats that may occur when moonlighting or during other off-duty activities? What equipment should we carry when working secondary security jobs?
• Cpl. Smith was in full uniform when the shooting occurred. What are the advantages of wearing a uniform when moonlighting? Are there any disadvantages? Consider the risk of friendly fire accidents: Is there ever a time when plain clothes are preferable to a uniform when working off-duty security?
• Cpl. Smith had been well trained in how to respond to a close-range armed attack. Would the technique he used have been as successful if he hadn’t already drawn his gun? Why or why not? What’s the best technique for responding to a close-range armed attack? How important is it to train officers in close-quarters use of the handgun?
• Should Cpl. Smith have pursued the other two suspects out of the store? What’s the best way to respond in situations like this one? How can officers prepare themselves to make the right choice when making this kind of decision under stress? How important is training officers in post-shooting tactics?
• Because of tunnel vision, Cpl. Smith didn’t see the SUV until Debrow opened fire on him. What’s the best way to counter this dangerous and very common perceptual distortion?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of kneeling when returning fire? Should this or any other fixed shooting position be used when under fire in an exposed position, or is it better to move to cover first and then return fire from there? What if no cover is available? Would it be better under such circumstances to shoot while moving as you exit the hot zone? How important is it to train officers to move to cover before returning fire and to shoot while moving?
• In what ways did Cpl. Smith’s attitude and actions exemplify winning mindset and warrior spirit?
• Discuss other factors that contribute to a winning mindset. 

 

Brian McKenna is a retired lieutenant from the Hazelwood (Mo.) Police Department, where he served in patrol, traffic, mobile reserve and training. He is a 32-year police veteran, with a strong background in police training at both the recruit and in-service levels, and served his department as lead firearms instructor as well as in various other training functions. He is a state-certified police instructor, and holds a master’s degree in human resource development. Brian is a member of ILEETA and IALEFI, writes extensively on officer safety topics and trains police officers nationwide in mental preparation for armed encounters and other topics related to officer safety. He recently completed a book based upon this column, Officer Down: Lessons from the Streets, which is now available for purchase on his Web site. Contact him at pmbrianod@charter.net or visit his Web site at www.winningedgetraining.com.

Tell Us About It!

Law Officer plans to run an “Officer Down” article by Brian McKenna every few months. To obtain incidents that provide clear, relevant case studies, we’d like to draw from our largest available resource—you, the reader. If you have, or can obtain, factual information on actual incidents you think we can use, contact Brian by mail at 7412 Lynn Grove Ct., Hazelwood, MO 63042; via e-mail at pmbrianod@charter.net; by phone 314/921-6977 (call collect); or by cell phone at 314/941-2651.

• Click here to see Brian McKenna's illustration of the altercation inside the store
• Click here to see Brian McKenna's illustration of the foot pursuit

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• Law Officer Magazine Volume 5 Issue 9

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