It’s criminal negligence that resulted in the death of the boy. Do you think the drunk driver INTENDS to run over someone? Of course not... To that extent they are both accidents. It’s the negligence that in both cases that makes it a crime.
Criminal negligence? I wish you folks could SEE the terrain in question. I have. I live nearby. The growth is so thick, no one could possibly see as far away as where the boy was. A cop would not be able to fire a gun at all out here if he had to see that far away, and that’s a fact.
Firing into the air is another matter, but I suspect he will be punished for that mistake.
Now, if only the would also punish the foolish woman who called 911 over a snake....
And I do make a distinction between someone who is evil to the core and shoots children in drive-by shootings, and someone who only wants to do good, and causes harm. Fortunately, the law does too, even if people like you do not.