Guys like you on these threads drive Me nuts. It's always the "monday morning quarterbacking" by people who don't know jack $h*t about law enforcement. And before you ask,Yes I
am a cop. There is something We use called the "use of force continuum" . It dictates appropriate responses to a suspects actions. What this kid did was perceived as use of deadly force. And remember that word "perceived". All police use of force is judged by what is called an officers
reasonable perception of danger to himself/herself. That means, based on the immediate situation and not all the information that tends to come out later. If you can articulate to the satisfaction of your agency and the local prosecutors your actions were appropriate to a persons reasonable perceptions of danger, you will be cleared.Pretend you are a cop. Quick! you come around the corner, and you spot a kid brandishing what appears to be a very real Glock model 22, and He's not following your extremely loud and persistent orders to drop his weapon. also imagine that on either side of the hall there literally
hundreds of children on either side behind walls and doors.He could run into a classroom and take hostages, or he could fire through the walls. Bullets don't care about doors and walls.Even if he's not a threat to you, he's still an active threat to anybody nearby. Decide. Decide what you're gonna do.
Decide in a split second.And the be prepared to have everybody and you uncle second guess it for the rest of your life. That's what these situations are like. Police oversight IS necessary, human nature being what it is. But what isn't necessary is this second guessing by people who don't understand thing one about wearing a badge and gun. and, BTW the comment about shooting to wound: they hire us as cops, NOT as targets
CC