Tragedy in Tokyo...khukuri related

WrongFriend

WrongFriend

Joined
Jul 6, 1999
Messages
1,151
A brave LEO was attacked and killed by a psycho on 26th Aug. In the morning some people saw the BG walking along shopping mall with a khukuri unsheathed in his hand, called 110 (same as 911 in US). An LEO hurried there, found him, tried to stop. As police internal rule tells, the LEO shot his first shot into the air when the BG ran to attack him brandishing khukuri.

It lead to two deaths, only one of which I miss, caused by two big cuts on the neck and the chest. The BG was shot at the heart. This was an exceptional case nobody claimed "The cop was wrong to shoot the citizen to death" as he was killed. I've seen too many cases where many LEO's were blamed that he shot and survived, as if it had been a game, duel or something.

May his soul rest in peace.
 
That truly is a tragedy, wrongfriend.:(

My prayers go out to both families, as I'm sure the family of the killer are in as bad shape as anyone...

Tragic that it had to smear the reputation of the khukuri in Japan, where, it seems hard enough for honest forumites there to get one already. I hope this doesn't lead to an all out ban...:(
 
Bad and sad news, Oi-chan. In the land of the katana why a khukuri -- crazy people make a crazy world with very bad consequences.
 
It seems foolish to waste a shot and time as someone rushes you with a deadly weapon. I do not think I would do such a thing, regardless of my employer's policies.

Perhaps he would have died anyway, but any little bit helps.
 
This was a very tragic incident, unfortunately things like this happen all to often. I'm with you Howard. It has been proven many times that in close quarters, I believe within 20 feet, that a person with a knife can take a person with a holstered pistol. And within 9 feet the gun can be in the persons hand. I've disarmed a person with a pistol at 9 feet before he could fire into me. This gun was not loaded with real bullets, simunition.
 
I could only repeat what everyone else has said.
A Very Sad day Indeed!!!!:(
 
....Leave their citizens bare to be preyed upon by the predators and madmen which exist everywhere, no matter how the government views reality. It is astounding, however, that a society steeped in a history of bushido, producing some of the finest warriors ever known, could recruit good men, train them as protectors, and then saddle them with such deadly restrictions as "warning" shots. Another horrible example of liberals who "feel" rather than "think". His family and his country should honor him. His superiors surely have not.
 
That warning shot in the air was way more dangerous than the psycho with the khukuri.

Bullets fired straight up in urban areas have a nasty tendency of coming back down, at full velocity, onto the heads or upper torsos of innocents.

-David
 
Dave:

That is the first (of several) reasons why most PDs over here forbid warning shots. And our population density is what (?) 1/100th of theirs? The Japanese public is intensely critical of failed leaders and corprate executives - seems as though those in charge of this man's life would be good nominees for group sepuku.
 
In most cases decisions about policy involving deadly force are made based on public opinion. Some major American cities only recently began to issue hollowpoints to their officers in spite of the fact that non expanding bullets are more dangerous to bystanders and the officers involved. The perception of the public is shaped by the media, and I have never seen a movie where someone fired a warninng shot that went astray and killed or injured someone. Most people don't think about these things, some don't want to, some are ill informed. A lot of people think that everyone in the world will instantly stop what they are doing if you point a gun at them. Many think that being shot is instantly fatal or incapacating and have no idea that a big knife is a fair match for a pistol once you get within a few yards.

When I was in Taiwan in the 70's the FAMPs (Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Military Police) that we worked with were issued 1911A1 .45 pistols. They were issued with 3 magazines with 5 rounds each. At the begining of the shift the officer loaded a special magazine loaded as follows:
First round, dummy, no primer or powder.

Second round, a blank cartridge for the "warning shot"

Third, fourth and fifth, hardball.

The drill was, rack the slide to show you meant business, then fire the blank, then as a last resort shoot to wound. This is what happens when the life of a police officer is less important than preserving the "image" of the organization.

Sorry about the rant, it's old and tired.

As others have said, my thoughts are with the families of the deceased, may they find peace and healing.

(edited for spelling)
 
Here is an article from the Japan Times Online that has some more details about this terrible incident. It states that he bought the knife just before the incident at a hardware store nearby.

It seems he was acting very strangely, and may have been clinically insane.

God bless those close to the police officer, who gave his life protecting his fellow human beings.
 
I've lurked around some forums on the Web for more information about how an ordinary person feel about khukuri. Sheer disappointment. More than half post says how a khukuri would look scary, even more scary when thrown. Too much Mad Max 2 fans, too little right information about khukuris. I feel very sorry to ancestors, who invented, improved, and cherished katana as an art.

Poking around some more web sites, I found much more restricts on police officers with hand guns. One of six holes of New Nanbu is empty to avoid misfiring. One of rest five bullets are empty. One of four hard head is vained for warning shot. I'm not sure if this is true, as it's too incrediblly efficient way to disarm a police officer, vulnerable to any violence. This inefficienysy was to kill the brave LEO as much as the khukuri in BGs hand.
 
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