Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
The mom was holding a gun to her own head and not at the police. No reason to shoot the daughter or mom. This type of crap has happened a lot here. Then one day I see a young man crossing the street and a cop is on the corner and comes up behind him and shoves into a wall. Innocent people who call the police for help end up getting shot here. When I lived in other states I never saw this type of thing.
I realize that having not been a teacher in a public school system leaves me naive and ignorant about some of the difficulties of that profession and as well, I hope you will realize that your perspective lacks knowledge and experience in the law enforcement realm.

So I will say this. I have on more than "one" occasion confronted a suicidal subject. Some armed with a handgun, some with a long rifle, some with a knife, even a machete and one holding a baby with a carpenters hammer. There is only one thing predictable and that is they are unpredictable.

It takes a skilled negotiator to find common ground and a patient one to wait them out. But sometimes waiting is not an option. Take your finger and point it at your head and then point it away from you in a split second. That is all the longer it takes for a police officer to become a shooting victim. A long rifle is a fearful weapon. There are few places to take cover that will protect you. A knife wielding subject can close the gap in seconds.

I believe the news report I read, if it was Sparks, Nevada.....said the subject had already discharged rounds from her gun. I don't know specifics and only those directly involved in the investigation do. So we should agree that speaking of groups with categorical pejoratives is counterproductive. Like in ...all welfare recipients are lazy. And all cops are trigger happy.