ON ‘THE BIBLE OF GUNFIGHTING’

FBIMiamiFirefight book details historic 1986 firefight between G-men and bank robbers that changed how the bureau, law enforcement and others train, as well as shares special agents’ personal stories.

STORY BY PAUL PAWELA • PHOTOS BY FBI

In my four decades as a firearms instructor, I’ve received training from – and trained with – the best shooting instructors in the world, and I have read the books they’ve authored at length.

If I were asked to choose one book as the bible on gunfighting, I know which one I would choose. Hands down, it would be the one by retired FBI special agent Edmundo Mireles and his wife, former FBI agent Elizabeth Mireles, titled FBI Miami Firefight: Five Minutes That Changed the Bureau

The book offers lessons not only for law enforcement officers in a defensive situation but also for civilians who carry firearms. Those who have a gun on their person – whether military, police or civilian – do so because they understand the degree of evil in the world and acknowledge that it is a good idea to be armed in the face of that evil.

Being armed gives you a greater likelihood of being involved in an armed encounter or, more to the point, a gunfight. So how do you prepare for this potential encounter?

Consult an expert. And of course, there is no better expert than someone with personal experience. Someone who has survived a lethal encounter and is willing to discuss it without boasting, embellishing or grandstanding. Someone who can accurately and methodically relive their harrowing encounter and share the hard-won lessons so you might be better prepared for just such an encounter one day. This is precisely what Ed and Elizabeth Mireles have achieved with their 2018 book.

FOR MANY REASONS, FBI Miami Firefight

is a must-read for anyone who carries a firearm. Not only are both authors former FBI agents, but they are married to each other, which brings an added dimension as they each describe their own personal perspective on the harrowing lethal encounter that would go down in history as the FBI’s most famous gunfight. The FBI shootout would also become known as “The Massacre in Miami.”

For those who may not remember the events of April 11, 1986, here is a summary:

Eight seasoned, highly motivated and well-trained FBI agents, including Ed Mireles, were on the trail of two killers who had robbed armored cars and banks with precision and extreme violence; these were evil men trained in tactics and marksmanship and they were not afraid to use those skills. Then, in an epic climax on the streets of Miami, the good guys faced off against the bad guys in a bloody gunfight that left the two bad guys dead – but also took the lives of two heroic FBI agents, critically injured another three brave agents and wounded two more.

To put things in perspective, the incident was more violent than the classic Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. In that gunfight, it was recorded that 30 shots were fired in 30 seconds, resulting in three dead bad guys and two seriously wounded good guys. The FBI shootout, in contrast, lasted about four minutes and involved at least 150 rounds, four deaths, and many more injured. The Mireleses’ book covers what happened on that dreadful day nearly 37 years ago.

The book also touches on Ed Mireles’s early life and career in the FBI. And why is that important? Because his story is what makes America great: a poor kid from an immigrant family joins the military, pursues his degree, and gets accepted into the FBI. Mireles’s story underscores that showing drive and commitment will allow anyone to access and share the American dream.

Without spoiling too much of this fine book, the authors go into great detail regarding FBI training and how that methodical training paid off for Ed on the day of the infamous gunfight. Moreover, the book emphasizes that firearms training should never stop, whether you are an FBI agent or a concealed carry license holder. Training and more training with proper mental preparation go hand in hand.

THE WORD “GUNFIGHT” implies that bullets will fly in both directions and too often in training, students give little thought that they could be seriously wounded or even killed.

Mireles recounts the horror of witnessing bad guys becoming bullet sponges, taking multiple hits from different calibers of firearms, and still returning fire on the good guys. He shares the hell that he and his teammates experienced as they underwent an intense volume of incoming rounds that shredded them. As you might imagine, it was a bloody affair, with one of the bad guys losing over 50 percent of the blood in his body before he expired.

FBI Miami Firefight also covers some unique ground by addressing the trauma of being injured and the grueling road to healing, the harsh reality of gut-wrenching farewells to friends at funerals, interactions with surviving family members, and the inevitable post-traumatic stress disorder/survivor’s guilt.

The book is even more poignant as it recounts the love between the two authors. Elizabeth’s devotion to Edmundo carried the couple through the horrific aftermath when he was so severely injured. In fact, she washed the blood off his body to prepare him for his operation because the hospital staff was so overwhelmed with incoming patients from the gunfight.

Elizabeth not only prepared him for his long operation, but she stood by him as he struggled with physical therapy every day for two years. She also stood by him as he endured PTSD nightmares and the accompanying emotional outbursts. Many marriages fail under these circumstances, but the Mireleses’ love is enduringly strong.

THE BOOK ALSO explains how the firefight changed the FBI and law enforcement in general. Police shifted to semiautomatic handguns. Body armor was improved and enhanced. Some of the most detailed ballistic studies ever performed were accomplished by studying better ways of hitting bad guys and stopping them.

Law enforcement firearm training also changed dramatically, from standing still and shooting at paper targets to shooting while running, dodging and ducking targets that are also running, dodging, ducking and shooting back. We can now accomplish this thanks to manmarking cartridges, where bullets go in both directions.

Likewise, the best modern courses now emphasize shooting one-handed in case the other hand is injured, alternating dominant and nondominant hands. The best courses also acknowledge that, no matter how bad the situation is, you must have a belief that you can win, you must win, your partners need you to win for them to stay alive, your family needs you to win, and so on.

FBI Miami Firefight underscores the training and the physiological changes that happened in the historic firefight, and it also establishes that the FBI agents of the famous C-1 squad are, in fact, the founding fathers of what is known today as reality-based training.

The book is an absolute must for anyone who carries a firearm because it truly is the bible of gunfighting. The book is available at edmireles.com.

And that’s my two cents! 

Author’s note: I wish to thank Edmundo Mireles for being a role model, mentor and friend.

Editor’s note: For realistic self-defense training, see assaultcountertactics.com. Author Paul Pawela is a nationally recognized firearms and self-defense expert based in Florida.