cop did a spray and pray. there aren’t negative repercussions so cops just do it.
Then, sorry, but I blame the cop. If a suspect is holding a hostage, it is way too risky to shoot at him with a handgun. That shot should only be taken by a marksman with a scoped rifle.
The only exception would be if the suspect has just shot someone, and is now preparing to shoot again. Then all bets are off.
I feel for the cop. He was trying to do the right thing in a horrible situation. But he made the wrong call.
From the article: "Smith was released on parole in February after serving time for first-degree robbery and has a lengthy criminal record that includes assault"
The cop was wrong. But let's not forget that it's a judge who is ultimately responsible for this tragedy.