Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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ELB
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Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

#1

Post by ELB »

On another forum, I found the links below leading to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's report on the killing of two deputies and a wanted man during an encounter that started at a gun range. That incident was initially reported on this forum here: http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... 73&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The FDLE Report:
http://video.onset.freedom.com/nwfdn/kr ... puties.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Article on the report, with links to pictures, 911 recordings, etc
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/today- ... ected.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(Note: to Seamus -- your time estimate was off by about 6 months. ;-) )

A somewhat shorter version (warning - this is not a cheerful reading): One Joshua Cartwright was being sought by police for striking his wife that day. He was already facing charges of domestic violence against her. His wife told police he was armed with several guns and was going to a shooting range.

Two deputies (York and Lopez) stopped by the range, did not find him, went on, came back, and found him at the range. Cartwright had been shooting at the range, and was apparently leaving. The deputies confronted him in the parking lot and after he refused orders, tased him. He fell to the ground, but drew a pistol (apparently a Taurus PT111 in 9mm) and fired at both deputies, wounding both in the arms. Lopez managed to radio to others that he had been wounded. Cartwright then killed Deputy Lopez with a shot to the head using the Deputy York's gun (a ParaOrdnance .45) who had apparently dropped it when wounded in the arms. Cartwright then killed York, also with a shot to the head with the Taurus. Cartwright left blood behind at the scene, but it's not known how he was wounded.

Cartwright drove from the gun range (all the employees and customers were taking cover and later provided statements), was later spotted by another deputy, and the chase was on. He avoided a couple attempts to stop him with spike strips, was fired on at least once by a deputy standing at the road blocks, and was then forced off the road by a deputy in a vehicle. Cartwright's truck rolled over several times, including over the top of a police car, and came to rest upside down. During the crash he sustained numerous contusions and lacerations, plus broken right tibia and fibula, broken left fibula, and broken left femur. He crawled out of the truck and started firing at the police. They fired back. Cartwright was killed when he shot himself in the head with his Ruger 9mm.

It is not clear how many times Cartwright was actually hit. The report first says 15 gunshot entrance wounds. In detailing the wounds, it ultimately lists "the sixteenth and seventeenth wounds," plus lists many grazing wounds to his legs. When I count the list, I count 15, plus the grazing wounds. Most gunshot wounds were in the legs and one to his arm." Aside from Deputy York's .45, all deputies apparently used .40 Glocks, plus a STAG-15 rifle. Besides the handgun bullets recovered from his body .223 fragments were recovered from his anterior sternum. (At least twenty .223 rounds were expended).

Cartwright's fatal wound was self-inflicted: he shot himself in the head with a 9mm Ruger. It appears he may have tried to shoot himself in the head once and missed - he had a grazing wound with stippling to his right ear -- the fatal wound was directly in his right ear. His Ruger was laying on his right shoulder.
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by Oldgringo »

...It appears he may have tried to shoot himself in the head once and missed...
DANG! I hate when that happens.
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by seamusTX »

ELB wrote:(Note: to Seamus -- your time estimate was off by about 6 months. ;-) )
Nobody's perfect.

This guy was harder to take out than the creepy thing in Alien.

- Jim
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by redoregon »

This happened... started... in front of a firing range, and not one person stepped out to help??
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by CompVest »

Most likely that it all happened so fast that by the time anyone got in gear to help the chase was gone out of the parking lot.
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

#6

Post by The Sarge »

I just cannot believe nobody helped the LEO's. I am amazed. I can say with certainty at the range I utilize (Bandera Gun Club) the bad guy would have had more than a few holes in him from the guys at the range.
There are some crazy people out there.......this is why we carry.
RIP to the officers killed....
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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by seamusTX »

IMHO, without knowing the layout of the range and parking lot, how many people were there, what they were doing, and the second-by-second timeframe, it's possible that the whole incident went down before anyone who wasn't directly involved knew what happened.

It's not like gunshots are going to draw attention at a shooting range.

Nearly everyone is looking downrange most of the time and wearing hearing protection (if not already deaf).

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Re: Rest of the Story: FL Deputies killed at gun range

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Post by ELB »

If you follow the links I provided, you can find pictures (135!) of both scenes, including the shooting range building and parking lot. The report itself also has summaries of the statements of employees and customers at the range. At least some of the range staff knew something was going on in the parking lot, and warned at least one of the customers not to go out there, prior to the shooting.

My personal guesstimate is the initial shootout happened pretty quickly. Cartwright was tased, fell to the ground, pulled a gun and started shooting. (If you dig into the report, you will find a witness statement that Cartwright was interested in stun guns and tasers, and bragged he was not much affected by tasers.) The report says (by my count) 14 9mm cartridge cases, two .45 cal cases, and 12 caliber-not-identified cases (which I suspect were .40 from a Glock) were found at the scene. Cartwright left behind a slide-locked PT-111, also a shotgun that was not used. One of the deputies apparently dropped a slide-locked Glock next to a magazine with at least one round in it. (EDIT/UPDATE: Lopez's slide-locked Glock, with no magazine, was found in the sand; nearby was an empty magazine and a full magazine. Apparently Cartwright got him while he was trying to reload with a broken/wounded upper left arm). I think it was pretty much shoot-to-slide lock (except Dep York, who was hit early and often, and apparently dropped his gun). Then Cartwright picked up York's gun and executed the wounded Lopez with it; then Cartwright hunted down York (who apparently was getting into Cartwright's truck -- to get a second weapon?) and executed him, using the PT-111. Lopez left the PT-111 behind -- it was found in the sand, slide-locked. There was not a lot of time to intervene. (Also, there is much food for thought here about capacity, reloading, and backup guns).

The choice would have been whether to intervene or not to keep Cartwright from driving away. One witness statement says Cartwright seemed to start heading for the range building, then change his mind and drove away.
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