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I try to avoid these type of post but some of you guys..... Wow!
I was, key word was, a police officer for five years. Last Memorial Day at 3 am I was searching for a burglary suspect that was running from us. I exited my patrol car to investigate some clothing on the ground. I returned to my car and no more than 5 feet a away the suspect popped out of the dumpster shooting me 5 times. Yes I was wearing my vest but one round struck the flap of the vest, tumbled in on me striking my spinal cord and collapsing my right lung. All that happened in a matter of seconds. But short enough time that I can still see today the muzzle blast of his handgun. My life was taken from me that day.
So I say this. I have been a veteran in 2004-2006 in Baghdad and 5 years as an officer in north county St. Louis. I have fired and been fired upon, we will leave it at that. But I can say you only have seconds folks, seconds, to make a life or death decision. If I tell you to drop your weapon and you move in a manner that threatens me or my partner I'm not gonna take my precious seconds to wonder, "well this kid knows better, he won't do anything bad." Folks in my line of work you wonder you die. I have seen kids kill. Today's society for a lack of better term is, f'd up. So I will make sure my partner and I will go home.
As for the rookie not firing. Unless your put in a stressful situation you will never know how you will react. You can train and train but will not know until then. But we train so we can do the right thing under that stress. I have seen kids not fire their rifle even though their life was in danger. Some people react, some freeze up. That's it.
Even after all of that I carry a gun with me. You threaten or "pretend" to threaten me or my loved ones I will react. then everyone out there can play Monday quarterback and act like they know what should have been done if they were there.
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