FEATURE: John Dubois, SWAT

Midland Police Department SWAT sniper John Dubois, 42, lays atop a hill in brush covered in camouflage as he practices his accuracy and eye behind the barrel and crosshairs of a Remington 700, .307 caliber sniper rifle June 28 at an off-road training facility in Midland. Dubois, who has been with Midland's SWAT for 14 years, trains once a month in team shooting exercises, but logs about three hours weekly atop his regular policing duties to keep his eye keen for sniper shooting. "You look through the crosshairs, and that's what you focus on," he said. "You've got to eliminate everything else around you, but be cognizant of it as well. Sometimes it's split-second decision making, whether you pull the trigger or not. When you pull it, you have to be 100 percent certain you know where that round will land because once you pull it, you can't get that round back."