FWIW, my opponent managed to stagger, stiff-legged, for 38 feet after I shot with a 125-grain .357 Magnum JHP, through his heart and left lung. True, he violently twisted when struck, wandered away to my left, and was no further threat, but, he finally dropped because he finally bled out. The last phrase is my opinion.
Even so, he was ambulatory for 38 or 39 feet of distance, after taking am X-ring hit from the cartridge that document-ably ruled the streets, in its time. 21 feet, which is the Tueller Drill distance, plus 38 to 39 feet, is 59 to 60 feet. My math says twenty yards, for an defender who is drawing and firing in 1.5 seconds, plus 38 to 39 feet of travel by the attacker. (My attacker was much closer, and advancing steadily at a walk, not charging, and my draw time was not part of the equation, as I drew before he decided to select me as his target.)
I actually considered this a successful stop, as he was no longer a credible, imminent threat after he was hit. It was like I could have stood still, and let him move away, after the hit. I moved with him, off his left flank, ready to shoot again. No emotion; just determination, as I remember it. (I think that having fired only once, helped me when the incident went before a grand jury.)
I believe that a lesser cartridge might not have resulted in such a stop, but that is speculation. This was before really good controlled-expansion JHPs existed, and this bullet shed much of itself, to say the least. (It would have been bad form to ask to see the autopsy report, and to ask to see the bullet, which was being held for evidence. A colleague had been publicly “outed” for doing those things, after one of his shooting incidents; not a career-enhancing thing.)
For reference, the weapon was a 4” Ruger GP100. (Now y’all know why I like the GP100, Rugers in general, revolvers in general, and .357 Mag ammo.)
For reference, the cartridge was a Federal Hi-Shok, not Hydra Shok, Jacketed Hollow Cavity, as loaded in the early Nineties. The bullet went to pieces. The largest piece ended up in his left arm, having exited the torso, and entered the arm. (At the time of the shot, his left arm was chambered for a thrust, as the right side of his body was angled toward me. A fellow officer’s snatched SL-20 was in my opponent’s right hand, held high, ready for a downward strike.)
There were pieces of bullet jacket found in the plume of blood that had spewed, several feet beyond his under-arm area.
This is gurgle-able. The Houston Chronicle article stated the facts. The national business magazine fictionalized it. His name was Montoya. The “G” in Rex G is the first letter in my surname, the first three letters of which are “Gig.” The second half of my surname if spelled “out.” I split them to keep this post from being so easily found in the same searches. (I have a very rare French surname, a Gallicized form of a German surname; not an uncommon thing along the Rhine River.)
Sorry for the length of this post, but if I am going to mention identifying details, I want to have plenty of context.
Edited to correct title of my post, and to add clarifying detail to the narrative.