And as other human beings they should suffer the consequences of their "mistakes". Aiming and firing a shotgun is not a "mistake". It is a deliberate act which the shooter initiates. The "mistake" may be in judgement, temperment or thought processes of the shooter. For this the shooter should suffer the consequences and they should be severe.
If a passenger in the car had made a "mistake" and shot one of the officers would you be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt? Should he suffer the consequences of his "mistake"?
I think Officer Eric Hall is taking all the heat when the really big mistake was made by the THP dispatcher who issued an all-points-bulletin for a robbery suspect based on an anonymous cell-phone call reporting money flying out of a car. Nobody witnessed a robery, but a dispatcher reports the description of a robbery suspect. The high-stress felony stop scenerio was wrongly initiated by the THP dispatcher!
IMO, another big mistake is that the senior THP trooper failed to remain properly in charge at the scene. The trooper wandering around with a flashlight (probably the Lt.) clearly could have closed the door.
If you look at the all video and read all the stories at NewsChannel5.Com - Nashville, Tennessee maybe you will conclude, like me, that Officer Eric Hall is taking all the heat for mistakes by the THP. Three seconds isn't a whole lot of time size up the dog's intentions.