[Jeff Head]

Is this the actual title? It says in the title that they shot a Dead Grandfather. While horrible to contemplate, it is not nearly as tragic as what they actually did in shooting an innocent man, a grandfather, dead because they went to the wrong house.

This type of thing happens far too often. Growing up in the late 50s through the 60s, you almost never heard of any such thing. Even the 70s and 80s it was rare. Now it seems to happen all the time.

[JLS]

No actually it does not say they shot a Dead Grandfather. It says they shot dead a grandfather. Saying someone was “shot dead” is pretty standard English, though maybe it is from old time westerns. I will agree the way the term “Shoot Dead” is used in the headline allows for confusion. A simple article as in “Police Shoot Dead a Grandfather, 72, While Searching....” would have avoided the possibility of this confusion. Braver police would have avoided the need to write such a headline all together.

[HiTech RedNeck]

One result of ever expanding SWATification. Except that the original SWATs (the TV show had a pretty cool tune, I used to play it as a piano exercise) didn’t show up for mere run of the mill burglaries. What kind of “superheros” get odd and even house numbers confused?

[left that other site]

Yes. It DOES “happen all the time”.

Which brings the question:

Has the “Mission” of the Police CHANGED?