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Gun Belt Deflection Saves NYC Police Officer During Shootout

Feb. 28, 2012 9:33pm Buck Sexton

A New York City cop is alive and well today after surviving a harrowing shootout unscathed because a bullet heading for his waist ricocheted off an ammo magazine.

For Officer Thomas Richards, it was a close call in the line of duty. The New York Post gave some after action report details from the NYPD’s top cop:

“It’s another miracle,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after the wild Lower East Side fire-fight that ended with Officer Thomas Richards, 36, and his partner safely headed home — and accused gunman Luis Martinez in custody with a bullet wound to his leg.

“If it had been up an inch,” it would have been in his belly, Kelly said of the slug that tore through Richards’ leather ammo pouch and struck his metal magazine clip, bending it and spilling his extra bullets on the ground.”

Richards is not the only officer to have been shot in recent weeks. Three NYPD officers have be shot in just over a month, but fortunately in all of those incidents the officers survived. NYPD Officer Peter Figorski, however, was fatally shot this past December.

Officer Thomas Dunne, who is Richards partner, told the Post that “When [Richards] first got shot, I thought he was hurt bad. Fortunately, someone was watching over us last night.” 30-year-old Officer Dunne was holding his 5-month-old son, Jaxson, outside his Long Island home during the interview.

Richards’ family, the police department, and the City of New York are all breathing a sigh of relief that Richards is going to be just fine.

Gun Belt Deflection Saves NYC Police Officer During Shootout

9mm Taurus

The whole shooting incident started at about 2 o’clock in the morning in downtown Manhattan when Richards and his partner saw a vehicle do an abrupt U-turn when their police van came into view.

When they pulled over the suspicious vehicle, the suspect, Luis Martinez, allegedly began firing at the officers right away with a 9mm Taurus pistol. According to the officers’ account, Martinez fired three times, striking Richards in the belt area and bursting an ammunition magazine.

Then Richards returned fire at Martinez, and one of his eleven shots struck Martinez in the leg. Martinez dashed to his nearby apartment, ditched his weapon, and was later tracked down by an NYPD K-9 unit.

(h/t NY Post)

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (38)

DYNA
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 3:22am
I wonder if Martinez is being supported by the taxpayers, who’s law officers he tried to murder.

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- saltwater
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 2:20pm
  Looks to me like NYPD pfficers need more range time. One hit out of eleven rounds fired. My elevan year old daughter is a better shot than that.
  
  Report this comment
- db321
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 3:30pm
  I thought it was illegal for citizens to have Guns in NY? How did he get shot if no one is allowed to have weapons? It’s a mystery to me!
  
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Liberalslayer_1861
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:58pm
LOL! Got to love gun control!!!!!

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- TXPilot
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 2:00am
  This is obviously a fake story, given that everyone knows guns are illegal in NYC and nobody would even think of having one…….wheee!!..look at me, I can sound just like a liberal!!
  
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- GP100
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 6:06am
  Obviously they need more gun laws.
  
  /sarcasm off
  
  Report this comment
Liberalslayer_1861
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:57pm
I could have sworn that guns were banned in The peoples socialist republic of New York. You mean gun control is not working in that city?! OMG! Bloomberg where are you, your anti-gun superpowers are needed! (sarcasm included)

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The-Monk
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:06pm
Was that the picture of the Police Officer or the perp? That’s one messed up looking guy.

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- Grannie4news
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:50pm
  It is the Officer, see his left shoulder. That is a cops shirt.
  
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- The-Monk
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 12:53am
  @Grannie4news
  He looks like a drug addict or an alcoholic to me. And I should know…. Friend of Bill W and Dr Bob since 10-10-88.
  
  Report this comment
- db321
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 3:32pm
  He looks like he got shot in the face or run over.
  
  Report this comment
Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:49pm
“Magazine clip”, like “dehydrated water”, “jumbo shrimp”, “military intelligence”, “Democrat ethics”, and “Obama the job creator” are all contradictions in terms.

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- Pontiac
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:02pm
  Well at least it was grey text this time; which means The Blaze is quoting someone else’s ignorance.
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:13pm
  @LPHP’s
  Oxymorons are fun sometimes… I like “deafening silence”.
  
  Report this comment
- Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 11:14am
  @ The Monk:
  What did you call me? –_–
  
  :-)
  
  Report this comment
- LegionOfOne
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 11:42am
  LPHP – Lady, I swear, you come up with some of the funniest one liners. Keep rockin!
  
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Razorhunters
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:48pm
am glad he survived…live long and prosper.

btw,
an armed society is a polite society…

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Lead-B-4-Guns
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:21pm
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought guns were illegal in NY, Oh yeah I forgot that only counts for law abiding citizens…..

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gypsyman
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:53pm
ONE, of his eleven shots hit the guy. Sounds like he needs to spend more time at the range.

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- hidden_lion
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:11pm
  I was thinking the same thing. Apparently they don’t spend much of their huge budget on training.
  
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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:15pm
  The first 10 he was just making him dance.
  
  Report this comment
- single stack
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:20pm
  That’s pretty typical of the marksmanship of most cops. Though to be fair, during the high stress environment of a gunfight marksmanship suffers markedly. Fine motor control is nonexistent, tunnel vision takes over, and the sights often seem to disappear.
  
  Report this comment
- Sheepdog911
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:23pm
  OK Gypsy, so you’re dead-eye dick when the flat man on the paper target looks like he’s shooting back. You the man!
  
  Report this comment
- RAN58
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:27pm
  My thoughts exactly. NYC’s finest fire a boatload of bullets and only one connects, while the perp fires one shot and hit’s the officer (thankfully deflected by his clip). Perhaps a lot more range time is needed for NYC’s finest. Maybe some stress training while firing those paper targets. Wonder where all the other bullets ended up.
  
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- ilovestock
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 3:31am
  Big difference shooting at paper targets in a controlled situation and street combat with someone shooting at you. Perhaps you should try it some time, you talk real big.
  
  Report this comment
- Wolf
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 8:44am
  Since guns are illegal in NY and only the po-po have them, there’s no need for them to be accurate since they’ll never use them. Hence: why practice?
  
  Report this comment
- Wolf
  Posted on February 29, 2012 at 8:48am
  @ BryanfromFlorida… and you can verify this misinformation? Stop playing video games and join the real world.
  
  Report this comment
sawbuck
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:49pm
How come “the bad guy” always gets to carry in NYC..?
Bad.. Bad…GUN ..need more laws..!

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- Lumbar Spine
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:59pm
  The “bad guy” is going to jail for a very long time because of the law. Ask Plaxico Burress what happens when you get caught carrying in NYC…let alone shoot a cop.
  
  Report this comment
- sawbuck
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:41pm
  L.S.
  Yea in a “City” that has the STRICTEST anti-gun laws in our country .
  “A bad Guy”… can “STILL” get a gun and almost kill a cop.
  And stricter GUN laws ..If there is such a thing…will stop that…?
  Anti-gun laws ONLY stop law-biding citizens.
  
  Doors never stopped a criminal form breaking in a house.
  Anti-gun laws never stopped a criminal from getting a gun.
  Get a clue ..!
  
  Report this comment
ZeroOff4impact
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:47pm
Missed 10 times ?

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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:54pm
  But Superman always ducked when the bad guy threw the gun.
  
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- The-Monk
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:26pm
  @Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  That is soooo funny and true. You had me laughing on that one. : )
  
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Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 9:45pm
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Guns are outlawed in New York. How can cops get into a shoot out when it is illegal to have a gun in New York? This can’t be, that guy who shot at the cop must have been breaking the law. That shouldn’t be possible, there was a law against that. We need to pass another law ASAP.

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- Buck Shane
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:24pm
  Why is there a sentencing difference between murder and attempted murder? Doesn’t that reward incompetence?
  
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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:36pm
  True, maybe there should be a sound butt paddling that comes with “Attempted Murder” I would love to hear Yoda as that judge…”Do or Do not, there is no try in Murder….Hate leads to Despair, Despair leads to suffering, and suffering leads to attempted murder.”
  
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- Razorhunters
  Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:13pm
  lol dam funny darmok
  
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