[marktwain]

A terrible tragedy. Multiple mistakes made, culminating in a tragic death.

[ShadowAce]

The alarm company should have called the homeowner while calling the police.

When I was a teenager, our home alarm system would routinely arm itself during storms (Never could figure out why or how), and when I came home from school, I would set it off. The alarm company would call us while calling the police so we would expect them.

[House Atreides]

Yes, mistakes and a tragedy but not a crime.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Homeowner just fires shot in the direction of intruder? Didn’t have a visual on the intruder? What could go wrong?

[wbarmy]

So, if I am hunting in the forest and just shoot at anything, most people here would upbraid me for not making sure of my target before firing.

This guy just fires at his front door, not making sure of the target before firing. If it had been a daughter selling girl scout cookies, would the people on this thread have been so be so forgiving.

I always make sure of my targets before shooting anything. And the homeowner should have also.

[BobL]

I wonder if he head the police announce themselves...but then does it matter, since every home invasion claims the same.

I think, in hindsight, that since they had Angie Dickinson already there, they should have used her, as she would have at least sounded less threatening.

But one has to wonder what the hurry was. Why not attempt to call the guy from downtown (a little police lingo there)? If they had a legal alarm linked to the police, which is likely the case, then the police should have had phone numbers.

[moovova]

Odd reporting from the link...

“The front door to the apartment was open and one of the officers stated that Officer Heidelberg announced himself as part of the Midland Police Department before hearing a shot fired. The two officers who joined later heard him announce himself as well. “
“At first, Officer Heidelberg said that he was okay, but soon after another noise was heard and Officer Heidelberg was found face down.”

An apartment vs a house?
Door “open” vs door “unlocked”?
“...soon after another noise was heard...” what noise?

Also, why didn’t the cops just ring the door bell? Especially before entering the house?

[Leaning Right]

I have mentioned this before. If a police officer is about to make entry into a home, let folks inside now it’s the cops and not a home invasion. And it’s easy to do that.

Park a police car out front, and turn on its lights and siren.

[pierrem15]

It might be the right decision based on the law. Without knowing how Texas defines manslaughter, prosecutors may have overcharged.

Civil suits, however, are another matter.