SUSPECT REVEALS FIREARM IN WAISTBAND AFTER LIFTING HOODIE One of the common things taught in law enforcement is that “the hands can kill,” which is why officers command people to take their hands out of their pockets, lift their shirt, clear the waistband, etc., to ensure they’re not holding a weapon. But the part we don’t spend enough time on is the follow-up: What happens when there actually is a weapon? In this case, the subject voluntarily lifts his hoodie and exposes a firearm. Now you’re left trying to make sense of behavior that doesn’t always make sense. What were his intentions? Did he forget he was carrying? Was it an automatic stress response, something he did without thinking? Was he trying to appear cooperative to lower suspicion, hoping the weapon wouldn’t be noticed? Or was he testing the officers’ reaction before making a move? The key to being prepared for these encounters is having already been exposed to the problem in training. Backstory: On February 21, 2017, Roy City Police officers responded to a 911 call from a store clerk reporting a suspicious/trespassing person at a Texaco gas station on South 1900 West in Roy, Utah. When officers arrived, they contacted the subject in the parking lot, later identified as 38-year-old Nicolas Sanchez of Layton, Utah. Officers identified themselves and attempted a consensual field interview. Sanchez responded, “What did I do?” and voluntarily lifted his hoodie, as if to show he was unarmed. As he did, officers immediately observed a handgun in his waistband and gave repeated, clear commands not to reach for it. Within seconds, Sanchez pulled away and ran into a darker area of the lot. One officer pursued and took him to the ground, leading to a physical struggle. During that fight, a second officer fired multiple rounds. At the same time, the first officer gained control of Sanchez’s firearm and, believing Sanchez may have been reaching for or had access to another weapon, fired two additional rounds using that recovered handgun. In total, both officers discharged 16 rounds in roughly six seconds. Sanchez was pronounced dead.