Double Barrelled Shotgun in My Face!

As some of you know I was once a police officer. I worked for both the Atlanta P.D. and Gwinnett County P.D. here in Georgia. It was while I was more or less still a rookie with Atlanta Police that I received a call one evening to an apartment complex on my beat. The call was in reference to a domestic argument. It was my first week on evening watch and you went from call to call without stopping it seemed. Forget taking a break much less eating other than on the run if you brought a sandwich or such with you.

I arrived at the complex, found the apartment, knocked on the door. The door opens and immediately I'm facing a double barreled shotgun. Ever looked down the barrel of a shotgun? It is huge! It looks like a tunnel down which you could fall forever. There I was looking down the twin barrels of a shotgun, which made it even larger to me.

I stammered, "Uh, I've got the wrong apartment."

The man behind the gun said, "No you don't. Come in here."

You don't argue with a man holding such a huge gun in your face. I stepped in his apartment knowing if I didn't say the right words I would be dead in a heart beat.

I took a breath and said, "Sir, why the gun in my face?"

He replied, "My wife called you, cause we was fussing. She said you was gonna come and beat me up and then take me to jail. No you ain't!"

I said, "Sir, I didn't come to beat anyone up. I came because I was told I was needed to stop a domestic argument. Where is your wife?" I was afraid she might have been dead in some other part of the apartment and I would join her shortly.

He said with anger in his voice, "She called ya'll and then left."

Did I dare to tell this man the truth or lie to him? I was taught by my parents to always tell the truth. What would you have done? Lie to him that after he shoved a gun in your face he was not going to jail? Or tell him what was really going to happen? I opted to tell the truth.

I said to him, "Sir, I don't want to die over you and your wife's problems. I came here to help solve what it might have been which caused her to call us. I have four children and a wife, whom I love dearly and want to be able to return to them tonight. If you pull that trigger not only will you leave four children without a father you will have to go to jail any way, but for murdering a cop."

Go for the whole truth, "I'm not going to lie to you. I can't just walk away after you put the gun in my face, but if you give it to me now all it will be is assault not murder. If you cooperate then I will talk with the judge in the morning and tell him the circumstances which caused you to do this and ask him to be lenient on you. You have my word on that. Otherwise both of our lives will be ruined over a fight which was between you and your wife, not me. I didn't come to harm either you or your wife. I came to help."

He stood there with a thoughtful look on his face. I can tell you those few moments were like the longest few seconds I've ever experienced in my life. In side I was sweating bullets, out side I was as calm as I could be with a shotgun staring me in the face, knowing if he just put a little more pressure on the trigger my head would explode like a ripe melon.

I'll never forget that man's face. Doesn't matter whether he was white, black or any other color he could have ended my life there that moment in a thousandth of a second. I had told him the truth, didn't lie to him. Would he accept my word? Would he hand over the gun and go willingly to jail? Yes, I was praying silently that he would calm down and give me the gun, not pull the trigger. I really did want to see my four children and wife; I really did want to live.

I also didn't want this man to end his life in a prison for an argument with his wife which had gone on for days. No disagreement should end in death of neither of the people who are arguing nor of someone who comes to help straighten things out if possible or at the least separate the two from each other until they could calm down and think straight. Of course some people never think straight nor calm down.

Since I can still type this story for you to read you know the out come. I kept my head on my shoulders. He gave me the gun and yes, I arrested him and yes, I did go in the next morning for his hearing and told the judge what had happened. He gave the man probation and a fine. The man told me in court, "I'm sorry for what I did yesterday and thank you for talking to the judge for me."

You know in all the years I was a police officer I can count on one hand the times I was thanked for doing my job or for saving a life. That man was one of the few who thanked me. I only told him the truth.

The words may have come out a little different from what I remember but that is the jest of what was said. I came close that night to finding out what it is like to lose your head over someone else's argument. It is never the way to end an argument with a gun or knife or beating the other person just because you don't agree on something.

I'm still alive, have many aches and pains from having been a cop. I also have memories of saving lives. Then there are the memories of those who I couldn't save or who were dead when I arrived on the scene. They don't balance out. I wake from nightmares which I don't remember and figure it is best I don't remember them.

To day I live quietly with my cat Noel (NoNo) and take photos of flowers and think peaceful thoughts and of quiet scenes, do my art on my computer and leave others to themselves. I only hope they leave me the heck alone, no more cops and robbers for me... :o)