| I agree that its a problem in the first place, but as far as I'm aware, this is the first swatting death in the USA. So dozens of other officers were literally put into the same situation, but also haven't killed the suspect. Furthermore, swatting is (unfortunately) more common these days than it used to be, so officers need to keep that in mind when they're called into these situations. Indeed, in one of the other cases, the officers were under active fire and STILL didn't kill the man: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/no-charges-man-who-shot-police-ch... So even IF the suspect had a gun, its likely legal for them to use it on officers if they feel the need for self defense (if the officers enter unexpectedly). > We shouldn't be using a force optimized for "takedown of fortified gang hideouts" for domestic violence cases. We shouldn't be letting pranksters deploy such forces. I mean... yeah. But USA has rather liberal gun laws. At a minimum, officers entering a house unwelcomed need to be doing it with significant body armor, and under the assumption that the suspects are armed. Because its totally legal for people in their own homes to use guns on intruders. |