There was a shooting at my local K-Mart

[LauraMoser]

Apparently a man tried to rob them at knifepoint. The police showed up, tried to use the stun gun without success. He proceeded to turn the knife on the cops, who in returned opened fire on him. He died at the hospital.

That's kind of close to home. The news article online had some words from a woman who was shopping with her baby. I cannot imagine shopping in K-Mart and suddenly hearing gunshots with my kids along. I'd panic. But I really do think the cops acted appropriately according to the situation.

Luckily, this isn't quite the same kind of shooting story as the past few weeks. That makes me feel better.

[Deleted]

I'm glad it was the police shooting and the no one innocently got injured.

[LauraMoser]

Dec 30, 2012 3:35:20 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

I suspect your hometown is the same one my husband grew up in. If that's the case, there was also another shooting last night at a house party; I read six people were injured.

I had to check the news since I hadn't heard that yet, but yes, that happened too. There have been multiple posts on FB about the 2012 list of most dangerous cities to live in and we are #18. Yikes!

So do you still live near the area?

[mfluder]

Dec 30, 2012 13:44:54 GMT -5 susquehanna said:

Dec 30, 2012 13:23:40 GMT -5 @songforyou said:

They shot this guy dead over a knife? Wow, I would think they could have shot him in the leg or arm and he would have gone down.

WTF? The dude was threatening bodily harm to people, including the police. For all they know, he could have had a gun hidden on himself.

Also, from what I understand from the gun safety course that I took, you never shoot at any person or thing unless you intend to kill him / her / it.

this. Or you can throw it the other way if desired - a guy with a knife should not threaten a bunch of people with guns. They tried a taser and frankly that's more than they are required to do with someone threatening with a weapon. It's sad, truly, but the police should be able to protect themselves and those around them.

[Nonny]

Dec 30, 2012 13:23:40 GMT -5 @songforyou said:

They shot this guy dead over a knife? Wow, I would think they could have shot him in the leg or arm and he would have gone down.

No. Generally police are taught to shoot at the torso because it is the largest target and has the greatest chance of stopping an assailant. If you shoot at an arm or leg, which are much smaller targets, you not only have a greater chance of missing (and possibly hitting an innocent bystander), but you are also much less likely to incapacitate the attacker. If you inflict a minor wound they could flee (expanding the crime scene and involving more people), or they might end up infuriated and irrational, making them even more dangerous.

[MadamePresident]

Dec 30, 2012 13:44:54 GMT -5 susquehanna said:

Dec 30, 2012 13:23:40 GMT -5 @songforyou said:

They shot this guy dead over a knife? Wow, I would think they could have shot him in the leg or arm and he would have gone down.

WTF? The dude was threatening bodily harm to people, including the police. For all they know, he could have had a gun hidden on himself.

Also, from what I understand from the gun safety course that I took, you never shoot at any person or thing unless you intend to kill him / her / it.

Exactly. Plus, someone committing a crime like that is not acting rational. They could be on drugs or even just have adrenaline rush that would allow them to function even with a wounded arm or leg. I know it seems mean to shot to kill, but he was threatening an innocent person.