'Extraordinary Shot' Stopped Austin Gunman

Police Sgt. Adam Johnson was gripping the reins of two horses when he fired and hit a gunman dead-center in the chest—from 312 feet away, Fox News reports. General reaction from those in the know: Wow. "At a minimum, it was [an] extraordinary shot," says a retired Special Forces man of the bullet that hit Larry McQuilliams, who had reportedly fired over 200 rounds in the streets of Austin, Texas, on Nov. 28, when Johnson's .40-caliber bullet struck him. Other experts applauded him for hitting McQuilliams without bracing himself against anything and firing one-handed while holding the horses, reports the Austin-American Statesman.

"It’s not impossible," adds the Special Forces retiree. "Wild Bill Hickok shot bad guys from a hundred yards away with a handgun, but he was also a great shot." Johnson, who had been leading a mounted patrol of twelve officers, is on standard administrative leave following an officer-involved shooting. But he did appear at a charity event Friday and told a radio host that he thanked God, who was at the "right place at the right time." It's unclear whether McQuilliams died from Johnson's shot or a self-inflicted bullet moments later; autopsy results are pending. (More police shooting stories.)