This footage depicts Sheriff’s Deputies in Orange County, California as they confront a suspected burglar armed with a hatchet. Viewer discretion is advised.

The footage begins with the deputies announcing themselves before they make entry into a gated side yard of the property. At 0:44, they make contact with a person in the driver’s seat, identified as Duong. At 0:55, they identify that Duong has a weapon. The camera officer orders him to drop it, which Duong fails to do. At 0:57 they back up and create space as the suspect calmly and deliberately exits the vehicle, walking down the driver’s side of the car to approach them. It’s almost creepy in that it would not look out of place in a zombie film.

Into the one minute mark, the suspect is repeatedly admonished to drop the hatchet, but Duong ignores their commands and closes the gap between them. At 01:07, the deputies fire on Duong as he closes into striking range.

At 01:15, we see the events as they play out from the perspective of a security camera. Note how close the suspect got before the deputies finally decided to fire at 02:10.

In cases such as these, we often hear “why didn’t the cops do (insert non-lethal action)” and generally, trying to answer lethal force with non-lethal force is a losing proposition. However, in this case we see that the camera officer’s partner clearly possesses a TASER and ample time to ready it as Duong comes around the car, especially given cover by the other officer. Therefore, between the decision to use lethal force at all, and the decision to use it only after he’d gotten so close, this could have gone down far differently.

About the Author

Cole Simms

Cole Simms is an Air Guardsman, NASA enthusiast, police officer, and security contractor with particular experience in austere environments. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Stop The Bleed instructor for area schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and blends his knowledge and experience to write analysis for Funker530.

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