Earlier today, TTAG took the Texas Defensive Shooting Academy [not shown] to task in an Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day award. Our post was based on a report by ennisdailynews.com re: a negligent discharge where a firearms instructor shot another instructor three times. The TDSA contacted TTAG to point out that the instructors were not TDSA employees; they worked for a company that rented the range. I asked the owner for a statement. He forwarded me this news story from elliscountypress.com. The publisher granted us permission to republish it to clarify the events surrounding the ND. TTAG apologizes for any and all misrepresentations in the earlier article . . .
FERRIS –A helicopter airlifted an accidental shooting victim to a hospital from the Texas Defensive Shooting Academy in Ferris on Sunday evening. At 6:10 p.m., the Dallas County sheriff’s office received a call of a shooting at the range on Wolf Springs Road and dispatched a CareFlite helicopter to nearby Ferris High School. According to Len Baxley, owner, of the gun range, the injured man was transported to Charlton-Methodist Hospital in Dallas where he was reported to be in stable condition. The victim, whose name has not been released, is expected to make a full recovery in time. The accident occurred when Saulius Sonny Puzikas [link added, photo above] decided to run a live fire exercise in a shot house.
Since Sept. 1993, Puzikas has been president and chief instructor of Russian Combat Academy, Sarasota, Fla.
Throughout the day, instructors took students, one at a time through a shot house where they would engage targets with live fire.
The last student of 42 had completed the training exercise just as it was getting dark.
According to witnesses, Puzikas had been momentarily distracted when he began the run.
Unknown to him, one of his instructors was still inside when he opened fire with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, striking unaware instructor in the hand and twice in the abdomen.
He did not have a light on his gun and didn’t see the instructor.
Within less than three minutes, several students, some former Army and Special Forces medics began first aid and stabilized him.
According to Baxley, this was the first shooting mishap since the private-range was opened in 1995.
Baxley said he had rented the range for two days for the World Class training Puzikas offered.
“Students came for all over including Belgium. One student drove straight-through from Canada,” he said.
Puzikas resume states he provides highest level of instruction in all aspects of close quarters combat, as well as specific training for law enforcement, military and private security professionals.
Conducting intensive training seminars around the United States, Puzikas is of the most sought after instructors in the fields of firearms training, team tactics, Close Quarters Battle training and hand to hand combat training for Military and Law Enforcement, Puzikas, brings unique, non-western approach to the realm of armed/unarmed combat and how it can be represented in the realm of action scenes according to IMDB.
[TTAG ED: click here for Puzikas’ “Gospel of Violence”]
From 1988-1991, Puzikas worked with the USSR Military as operator in special purpose unit (Spetsnaz) in USSR MVD received extensive specialized training in small unit special tactics, urban and mountainous terrain warfare, crowd/ riot control, small arms (domestic and foreign), demolitions, survival in hostile environment and armed/unarmed CQB.
Former Spetsnaz soldier Saulius “Sonny” Puzikas teach the “Systema: Hand to Hand” and the “Force on Force: Urban Gunfighting” seminars. He has been featured on Discovery Channel’s “Weaponology,” Spike TV’s “Deadliest Warrior,” and the smash hit video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” Puzikas has become one of the most sought after instructors on Russian Weapon Systems and the Russian Martial Arts.