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).