A single round fired during an August altercation in Martiny Township, Michigan struck two men, wounding a 41-year-old in the shoulder and a 19-year-old in the abdomen. Gerald Griffin, 21, faces five felony charges after allegedly firing during an argument and fleeing the scene before being arrested days later.
The incident illustrates the real-world consequences of bullet over-penetration, a risk relevant to anyone who carries a firearm. Defensive hollow-point ammunition is designed to expand and slow inside a target, reducing pass-through risk, though no ammunition choice eliminates it entirely or substitutes for awareness of what lies beyond a target.
MARTINY TOWNSHIP, MI — Michigan State Police say a single round fired during an altercation on Aug. 7 struck two men, hitting a 41-year-old in the shoulder and a 19-year-old standing nearby in the abdomen. Both men are expected to make a full recovery.
Gerald Griffin, 21, of Lansing, was arraigned on five felonies, including two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and multiple weapons charges, as reported by WOOD TV. State police say Griffin and his girlfriend left the scene after the shooting, which pushed investigators to obtain a warrant for his arrest. Officers took him into custody in the Lansing area on Thursday.
Nothing about this is a defensive gun use, and I am not writing it as one. Police describe a man who pulled a gun during an argument and fired. The charges are allegations, Griffin has not been convicted, and prosecutors will decide how the case moves forward.
I am writing it up because of the ballistics. One trigger pull. Two wounded men. That is a bullet passing through a human body and continuing on with enough energy left to put a second man in a hospital bed. Every armed citizen has heard the phrase over-penetration in a class or a gun shop conversation. This is what it actually looks like.
Handgun rounds do not politely stop where you would like them to. Full metal jacket practice ammunition in particular is built to punch straight through, which is exactly what makes it cheap and reliable on a range and exactly what makes it a poor choice in a holster. Quality defensive hollow points are designed to expand on impact, slow down, and dump their energy inside the intended target instead of carrying it out the other side. That is the whole reason the ammunition costs more.
Expansion is not a guarantee. Hollow points can plug up on heavy clothing, fail to open, exit anyway, or simply miss and keep going through drywall, a car door, or a fence. Ammunition selection reduces risk. It does not eliminate it, and it never replaces the discipline of knowing what is behind your target before your finger moves. Police did not say what ammunition was in that gun, and it does not change the lesson.
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The conduct after the shooting is its own contrast. Leaving the scene is what turned this into a warrant and a manhunt across the state. A lawful defender stays, calls 911, and gives investigators an account from the first minutes, which is the difference between being a cooperative witness and being the subject of an arrest warrant served days later in another city.
Both men are expected to recover. That is the best part of a story that could have read very differently, and the part that should keep the ammunition in your carry gun on your mind the next time you top off a magazine.
