Just a quick note re: shoot to injure rather than kill.
Adrenalin is a powerful, powerful chemical. It can cause all sorts of nerve conduction issues, and most times, someone with a handgun will not necessarily be able to accurately aim for the legs, feet, hands or arms. It's far too risky to try to do that, and miss, especially with a school full of children (let alone teachers, administrators, and so on).
The largest area, and thus the easiest to hit, is the chest. LE is trained to aim for "center mass", because the chances of a disabling hit, or a fatal hit, is in the chest/abdomen.
I can't count how many times I've heard LE shooting at a person and missing...emptying the entire clip, and not once hitting the perp. Adrenalin, my friends...a powerful, potent, uncontrollable chemical response.
Further, if a suspect is permanently injured (or even not permanently) by an officer's bullet(s), they can be sued for a lot more than if they kill him. Sad to say, often an officer will be sued in any shooting, justified or not, and if the perp now can't make a living (no matter if he made a living before), officers get judgments against them and their departments that can be insanely stupidly excessive.
The primary reason, though, is not lawsuits...it's preserving the life of everyone else, and not the perp, that must take precedence in a shooting. Is there a real chance the perp can/will use the weapon? Will it endanger others (not LE)? And will it endanger LE? If the answers are yes, then it's a justifiable shooting, irrespective of the weapon the perp is holding/brandishing.
Everyone has the right to go home at the end of the day. That includes LE...and if they shot, there was a good reason for it. It would be nice to be able to have everything perfect all the time, and many times, endings are not fatal and no shooting occurs. But the threat was "imminent", potential for hostages (and increased loss of life), and potential death for LE and others makes this shooting a valid one.
What I am sad about is that somehow, a 15 year old thought it was an option (or maybe his only option) to bring a gun to school; fight with a student and show that gun; and then point/use the gun when officers arrived. There were numerous chances this could've been prevented, most occurring before today. Had the 15 year old at any point "stood down", the shooting would not have happened, and we'd be reading a different story.
My deepest condolences to everyone - everyone!! - involved, and I hope that the officer/s who shot this teen are able to continue with their lives in a good, wholesome fashion. It is not easy to do what they do...and this, being the worst case scenario, is something that will scar a cop for life. Not to mention the kids, the teachers, and of course this 15 year old's family.
I wish it had gone another way...but I am glad it wasn't more deadly and I'm thankful we're not reading about some kids being shot, held hostage, or other massacre-like event.
Best-
Herding Cats
