Shep was an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps. Starting as a Rifleman, he successfully graduated from the USMC Scout/Sniper Basic Course. He also served tours as a Small Arms Instructor, Marine Security Forces, and Range NCOIC of the Stone Bay Pistol Range, the main and largest pistol range of Camp Lejeune, NC. Shep was a Jungle Patrol Leader for the Marine Barracks, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines and shot competitively for the 2nd Bn 8th Marines Rifle/Pistol Team.
Shep trained with American military units such as
- Marine Force Recon
- ANGLICO
- US Navy SEALs
- US Army Rangers
He trained with numerous foreign military units including:
- 2e Etranger 1e Compagnie of the French Foreign Legion
- British Royal Marines
- Canadian Airborne
- Royal Dutch Marines
- ROK Marines
After leaving the Corps with an Honorable Discharge, Shep began to immerse himself in Firearms and Tactics Training.
Shep was a Patrol Officer and Lead SWAT Sniper for a major metro Atlanta police department for several years. While there, he earned Instructor certifications in:
- Police Counter Sniper
- Tactical:
- Rifle
- Pistol
- Shotgun
- Submachine gun
- ASP Baton
- Less Lethal Munitions
- Explosive Breaching
- SWAT Tactics and General Subjects
Shep was also a Field Training Officer, tasked with teaching police officers fresh out of the academy how to “be a cop”.
Shep participated in hundreds of SWAT Team entries, undercover drug buys, and the largest manhunt in Georgia history. He was awarded the Top Shooter award for every year he was with that agency, as well as being awarded a Meritorious Service Medal. Shep was nominated for both Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and the State of Georgia Peace Officer of the Year.
Currently, Shep is a Rangemaster, Firearms and Tactics Instructor with the Department of Homeland Security, where he holds Instructor Certifications in Firearms, Tactics and the Monadnock Expandable Batons, amongst other subjects.
Shep has over 20 years of military and law enforcement experience and is an active competitor in IPSC, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Precision Rifle and 3 Gun Competitions.
Here is Shep on Fox news discussing the British sniper Craig Harrison and his 1.54 mile shots: