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They Shoot To Live...
By Father David Epps A few weeks ago, a rookie police officer from a north Atlanta suburb faced
the horror dreaded by all cops and their families. The suspect, a 20 year-old
alleged deserter from the Army, fired his weapon point blank into the chest of
the 28 year-old patrol officer. The stricken officer, protected from the
potentially fatal round by his bullet-resistant vest, fell to the ground and,
although suffering injury from the tremendous impact of the bullet, returned
fire, along with another officer. In a few violent seconds, it was over. The
fugitive from the Army will not have to be concerned about serving out his
enlistment. He died at the scene. Once and a while, someone will ask, "Do the
police shoot to kill?" The simple answer to that question is, "No." But, on the
other hand, the answer is not so simple. The average citizen cannot possibly
imagine how suddenly a routine traffic stop, warrant service, or interview can
turn sour. In the movies, the bad guys can be seen planning and calculating
their next move and, when the action starts, the cops dive for cover, call
back-up, and a gun battle ensues for the next fifteen minutes. The cops and the
bad guys chase each other through the streets of the city, firing scores of
rounds, and, amazingly, even exchanging taunts. In real life, such a scene almost never happens, for in real life, the
violence explodes without warning, lasts an average of 3.5 seconds, with five
rounds being exchanged from a distance of three to seven feet. Think about
that... one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three . . and then it's
over. Someone is dead or screaming in agony. If the suspect is down, the
officer, with shaking hands, will cuff him and call for an ambulance. If the
suspect is bleeding profusely, the officer will try to administer first aid and
save the life of the man who just tried to kill him. Officers have even been
known to pray at such moments, pleading with God to spare the assailant's life.
If, on the other hand, the officer is on the ground, more likely than not, the
suspect will walk over to him, point his still smoking pistol at the officer's
head, and pull the trigger. He will then steal the officer's own weapon and flee
into the night. An hour or two later, the chief and the chaplain will pay a
dreadful visit to the officer's spouse and children. There is no time to talk the suspect down, no time to "shoot the weapon out
of the bad guy's hand," no opportunity to carefully aim from cover and
concealment and fire to wound. Officers are trained to aim for the "center mass"
of the suspect's body and continue to fire until the threat is ended. "That cop
fired nine bullets!" a civilian might protest. "He shot too many times! He was
out to kill that guy!" You weren't there. You have no idea. It wasn't your life
on the line. You just don't have a clue. If an officer is inclined to make a
mistake, he or she is much more likely to hesitate to shoot for that
all-important split-second than they are to fire prematurely. Most officers have
strong moral codes, have an aversion to killing, became cops to help people, and
have been well-schooled in how likely cops are to be sued. This hesitation may
well result in the officer's death. Criminals who would fire on a police officer
have no such moral restraints. They do not hesitate. Police officers and deputies are not trained to shoot to kill. They are
trained to "shoot to live." They are not, regardless of how much anti-law
enforcement types might whine, trying to take a suspect's life. They are simply
trying, desperately, in a few terror-filled seconds, to somehow survive the
encounter and go home to spouse and family at the end of the shift. They are
"shooting to live." If they do shoot a suspect, and the criminal dies, cops are more likely than
not to have severe depression, to experience sleepless nights, endure post
traumatic stress, and be overwhelmed with guilt. He or she will be more at risk
than other officers to experience a divorce, become an alcoholic, and take their
own life. He will have had 3.5 seconds to "shoot to live" while the press, the
public, and the courts will have years and decades to second-guess the officer
and wonder why he didn't "shoot the gun out of the bad guy's hand." I have two sons who are on the streets as police officers. Tonight, they will
pull over a car on some dark roadside or will investigate an alarm call. If the
moment ever comes, which I pray it does not, I pray that they will respond to
their training. I pray that they will not hesitate, no, not for one second.
Then, if their life hangs in the balance, I pray that, in that 3.5 seconds of
heart-stopping, throat-choking horror, they will "shoot to live." I pray their aim will be true. I pray they will come home to their families
safe and uninjured. And, then, the next night, and the next, they will face it
all over again night after night, year after year. They, and tens of thousands
of men and women like them, are cops. It's what they do.
Father David Epps
is the rector of Christ the King Church in Atlanta, a former
U. S. Marine, certified police officer, and law enforcement chaplain.
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