Incident Analysis: Shooting to Stop with a Pistol

Meriden, Connecticut: On 19 July 2026, Meriden police officers were dispatched to a residence in response to an active domestic violence incident where Robert Lee Jenkins III was beating his father, Robert Jenkins, Jr. with a baseball bat. Meriden Police Officer Anthony Offiaeli arrived and ordered Jenkins III to drop the bat four times as he approached Jenkins III who again started to strike his father on the head with the bat. Officer Offiaeli fired his pistol eighteen times at Jenkins III and according to police reporting struck Jenkins III with “several” rounds.

John Farnam is quoted as saying: “What does someone do when you shoot them with a pistol? What they were doing before you shot them.” That is exactly what happened during this incident. It is unclear which, where, or how many shots struck Robert Jenkins III. What is clear is that after the officer started firing at Jenkins III, he struck his father six additional times with the bat.

What is likely from analyzing the body worn camera video is that Officer Offiaeli did not strike Jenkins III in the central nervous system (CNS). Bullet strikes to the CNS tend to drop the subject like a puppet with its strings cut. Shots that do not strike the CNS must rely on a critical level of blood loss to cause unconsciousness. Often someone who has received a fatal wound (or wounds) that reduce blood circulation will still be capable of purposeful activity for many seconds because the brain can remain sufficiently oxygenated.

In other words, even though Officer Offiaeli inflicted a fatal wound(s), Jenking III continued purposeful and deadly activity for approximately eight seconds. This is not unusual—the Miami Grow House Incident is another example.

So how do we achieve rapid incapacitation with a pistol? In 2024 I attended Dr James William’s Shooting With X-ray Vision (SXRV) instructor’s course at Meade Hall Range in Oklahoma. People have made fun of the name, but the concept of understanding the location of vital zones in the human body where a bullet strike will likely lead to rapid incapacitation is critically important. This is where the commonly taught “center of mass” fails. How do we determine the location of the center of mass on a human? From the top of the head to the feet? From the shoulders to the waist? Some other measurement?

I have been using 2D anatomical targets for several years in my classes and matches. Typically, I cover the targets with t-shirts so the shooter must decide where to shoot without having an obvious reference aiming point. These work well for targets squarely facing or at a slight angle to the shooter; however, they do not work well for targets at more severe angles. 

The 3D targets we used in Doc Williams' Tactical Anatomy class were the Action Target 3D targets. These targets are expensive and not ideal because they offer no means to easily score multiple hits beyond putting an intact t-shirt on the target.

John Hearn of Two Pillars Training has marketed some 3D torso shell targets that provide a 3D perspective and they are also available from Action Target and may be a good alternative. They allow for a "scoring" insert, but do not accommodate 90 degree side nor 180 degree rear shots.

I am a firm believer in Dr William’s Shooting with XRay Vision concept and plan to teach it as a stand-alone class and incorporate SXRV principles in my other classes where possible. Dr Williams has been teaching the instructor class once a year at the Meade Hall Range in Mcloud, Oklahoma and he may not do too many more. The 2027 schedule has not been announced. If he does offer it next year anyone interested in the topic should take it while they can.

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