Comments on: Off-Duty Cop Accidentally Shoots Daughter

Connecticut Police Officer Critically Wounds Daughter After Mistaking Her For An Intruder

[mulv70]

On any given day a police officer may be required to use deadly force to save their life or the life of another. In the far corners of their minds they each wonder if they have what it takes to pull the trigger and send a tiny hot piece of lead on the mission to end someone%u2019s life.
Police officers are not trained to fire warning shots nor are they trained to shoot to wound. Those things only happen on TV and in the movies. The split second it takes to fire a warning shot may be the only time the bad guy needs to kill the cop, a hostage, or an innocent bystander. Shooting to wound is also not an option. In a tense situation, such as a gunfight, a person%u2019s ability to think clearly, or to aim for a precise target is diminished greatly by stress-induced tunnel vision.

[a-ji]

Lesson...

1. Siblings, better ask permission than sneak.
2. Cops, identify yourself and the intruder before shooting someone.

I feel sorry for both the father and the daughter, this could have been avoided.

[mulv70]

!

[ruzbest-2009]

The article does not say...what type of COP he is. If he is undercover or working on a case ---he is in a dangerous line of work. We all know that police officers have guns in there home. They never know who or whom is going to come after them.
If the officer was a regular 9-5 bank employee it would make sense for him not to shoot, but I don't blame him....you never know what kind of case he is working on. Someone on the streets may have made threats to him and his family.

It's unfortunate, but you can't be sneaking in and out of the house ---she should have called her Dad or at least announced herself.

[cepe10-2009]

This was not an intruder but rather a legitimate adult resident of the house. There are no excuses, you can't simply shoot house mates because your are paranoid and too lazy and stupid to do a little checking.

[dukeofnuke]

She is 18. Why did she have to sneak out, (and, back in)?

[sandy19731]

Ok,
Well, with the limited amount of info we have it seems like with no-one else in the house except his daughter (I mean, nobody called 911 apparently), it would seem like the first reaction would be to get to the daughter's room with the gun after the sensor went off, call 911 (if possible) and wait for the on-duty cops, and see whether shooting is necessary. That would be self defense. After seeing that the daughter is not in the room...well...then one might be more inclined to speak before shooting.

She sneaked out the front door and she should have taken her keys and come backin the front door. SNREAKING in through the basement,triggering the alarm was her stupidity.How should Mr. Dad-Cop think it was his daughter sneaking in It could have been a rapist with a gun who entered. That is what went through his mind. She could have stayed out until morning and no one would have known that she was out. He was protecting his family from a possible intruder. Perhaps it would be smart to leave on some night lights in the house.I hope that the family will get some counseling and learn proper behaviour how to live as a family'

[cble11]

It's really quite simple. We have the right to defend ourselves against intruders, regardless of our careers. We do not have to turn on a light and let them get a head start. If our teenagers (and an 18 yr. old living at home could very well be a sr. in high school, still like a teenager) trigger an alarm and act like a burglar when they know there's a gun in the house, they know the risks.

Any by the way, cops are usually trained to shoot somewhere like the knee, and keep the suspect alive. This guy did everything correctly.

PS: Move to a state where you can shoot as soon as an intruder comes onto your property. A homeowner should have more rights than a thief. (This comes from someone who despises and does not own guns).

[cble11]

It's really quite simple. We have the right to defend ourselves against intruders, regardless of our careers. We do not have to turn on a light and let them get a head start. If our teenagers (and an 18 yr. old living at home could very well be a sr. in high school, still like a teenager) trigger an alarm and act like a burglar when they know there's a gun in the house, they know the risks.

Any by the way, cops are usually trained to shoot somewhere like the knee, and keep the suspect alive. This guy did everything correctly.

PS: Move to a state where you can shoot as soon as an intruder comes onto your property. A homeowner should have more rights than a thief. (This comes from someone who despises and does not own guns).

[cble11]

It's really quite simple. We have the right to defend ourselves against intruders, regardless of our careers. We do not have to turn on a light and let them get a head start. If our teenagers (and an 18 yr. old living at home could very well be a sr. in high school, still like a teenager) trigger an alarm and act like a burglar when they know there's a gun in the house, they know the risks.

Any by the way, cops are usually trained to shoot somewhere like the knee, and keep the suspect alive. This guy did everything correctly.

PS: Move to a state where you can shoot as soon as an intruder comes onto your property. A homeowner should have more rights than a thief. (This comes from someone who despises and does not own guns).

[ralan40]

you don't "accidentally" shoot someone. You aim and pull the trigger. He hit the target he was aiming for. So did he 'accidentally' forget to identify his target?
This is no different than someone laying down on railroad tracks and "accidentally" getting run over by a train.

He should lose his badge for this. He can't even protect his family properly so why should he be trusted to protect the public?

At least the daughter won't sneak out at night, anymore.

[agnim]

Posted by Dan9111 at 07:30 PM : May 30, 2007

LOL
See you like corner your opponent and not leave any route to escape. LOL

[mgpm-2009]

If you have a gun in the house it is more
likely to harm yourself or someone you care about than an intruder.

This police officer should have known, more than anyone, how to use a firearm in a stressful situation.

[jennmarie620]

"You can't assume she was standing stock still like a department store dummy. This would also account for the bullet going up her leg too."

-----------------------------------

No, there are bullets out there that, once they hit bone, travel along the bone until there is no momentum to keep it going. I don't own a gun, but I know a lot about them. The bullet didn't go up her leg because she was crouched or moving - but because the bullet was probably of a calibur that made it possible for it travel along the bone. Being a police officer, it's not surprising he would own bullets like that.

[jennmarie620]

In all actuality, in many states this man would have been charged with a crime. In Ohio, it is illegal to shoot an intruder unless your life, or the life of a family member, is in imminent danger - which means, according to prosecutors, that a gun it pointed at you first. I believe that every person has a right to defend his/her family and themselves in their own home. As a police officer, I do think that he should have been a bit more careful than he was but only because he has specialized training in dealing with people who break and enter. But, off-duty and at home in, he doesn't have to follow the "identify yourself and order to stop before shooting" rule that on-duty officers have to follow when confronting a suspect.

This young girl should have known better, also. Granted, she's 18 but I doubt she's graduate from high school yet, and most responsible parents have rules for children living in their home despite their age.

That all being said, the man shot low enough to hit a leg and not a chest or head - which shows that he was not aiming to kill and was using some of his training instinctually. He could have aimed higher and she could have been killed instantly. The fact that the bulletin travelled up her left was a pure, unfortunate, and tragic accident.

And don't think for a minute that this man is reconsidering his stance on guns in the home, his stance on intruders in his home, and even his choice in careers.

[cepe10-2009]

Shot first and ask questions later. He must of been picked on in the schoolyard a lot for a complex like that.

[puzzler125]

Sure, turn on the light and let the intruder have the light and time to aim at you!

[phydeux1]

Kerimparrot said: "He will probally be reminded by his department and fellow officers for such a low shot." Who says it was low? Perhaps she was climbing off/crouched on a counter or something. You can't assume she was standing stock still like a department store dummy. This would also account for the bullet going up her leg too. Frankly, I think both are at fault here. Her for sneaking out of the house against her parents' wishes, especially when dad's a cop with a gun. And he's at fault for not having the sense to flip on a light while keeping his gun on the target. It only takes a second to acquire a target, and turn on the light. Then you can determine if its friend, family, or foe.

[gmond]

Stallone's new film - Stop or My Dad Will Shoot