Split second decision making is always hard. The wait could cost lives of innocent people, or they could, like in this case, take the life of the good guy with a gun. I didn't see anything in this article that said he was dressed in a security guard uniform, or any type of uniform. It did say people were yelling security guard, but that could have only added to the police reacting badly. Because the police may have misunderstood what they were yelling. Walking into confusion creates confusion, especially with people yelling. Thus making that split second decision becomes even more cloudy. I am not making excuses, I am saying that I would never want the thankless job of being a police officer. They can do it right for years, and make a bad split second judgement call and get it horribly wrong. The same things happen in war too. It's called the fog of war. War is happening in our streets, as well as, in other countries.
Having the luxury of hindsight makes our indignation seen justified, but is it really?
Is there a difference in legal consequences between such a situation involving law enforcement versus military?
The author is assuming racism with no evidence.
Do we even know the race of the cop?
In the Castille case all we have is the dashcam video where the officer repeatedly tells Castille "Don't take it out" before the shooting.
I blame the shooting on the fact that Castille had just smoked a blunt with the baby mama and was too high to follow directions.
I would never want to be in law enforcement either. But my brother was for 33 years, caught a lot of bad guys during that time and never drew his gun; not once. He still had to go out and qualify with his sidearm every month, but never used it in those 33 years.
It's very basic doctrine to enter a dangerous situation like this from a defensive position: cracking the door and maintaining a defensive position until you understand what is happening. You never use deadly force until you ascertain who the bad guys are and explore other options first. You don't shoot first and ask questions later.
Law enforcement is not war and IT IS DANGEROUS TO THE COMMUNITY TO ASSUME IT IS.
Restoring peace and safety to the people of the community is your first and highest priority. Yes, you arrest the bad guys after you talk it through, but you do not enter a situation with guns blazing; innocent people are at risk.
Social skills matter but seem to take a back seat to assault tactics I think? There was a joke in our family that my big brother could strike up a conversation with a fence post. He had a gift for gab and could talk a violent situation down without shooting everyone in sight. Those communication skills must be taught to be sure that the safety of the citizenry is the highest priority.