Officer Involved Shooting, Again...

I've said it before, so I'll save the speech about obeying a police officer.

If a member of law enforcement is pointing their gun at you, ordering you to drop something, or get down, or hop on one leg, I'm doing it whether I understand why or not.

As of Tuesday morning, the BPD is investigating three officer involved shootings in three days.

Yes, three times someone did something in a threatening manner to cause an officer to pull their service revolver.

One person had a knife, another a gun and a third allegedly tried to run down an officer with his truck.

One was shot and killed, another wounded and a third was not hit by gunfire but later arrested. He's the lucky one.

But it's the reaction from some witnesses that baffles me.

In the case of the person wielding, not one, but two knifes, a witness told ABC23 he was concerned about collateral damage. The officer fired four shots, hitting the suspect twice.

The witness was worried about the other two bullets hitting bystanders. Fair enough. There have been plenty of instances over the years where innocent people have been hit by errant gunfire. Fortunately, no one else was injured.

Keep in mind, Officer Hinzo did NOT fire her weapon when the suspect threw the hunting knife in her direction. She ordered him to the ground as he pulled out a SECOND knife and unfolded it. Only after he began advancing towards her did she fire at him.

Another witness told us they never would have called police if they knew it was going to end in a shooting. Really?! Maybe Officer Hinzo should have tangled with the knife-wielding man using a taser, police baton or other type of non-lethal option. And, exactly what type of scenario do you believe warrants an officer shooting a suspect?

Police officials say they don't stop to try and consider a suspects mental condition when they are in possession of a weapon.

During a similar story I reported on nearly 10 years ago, a senior officer said this when it comes to confronting a suspect holding a weapon. If an officer shoots, he will keep shooting until the threat is neutralized. Does everyone understand?!

In another situation over the weekend, a boyfriend is trying to gain access to his girlfriend's home. There's reports of abuse. The guy shows up in her backyard HOLDING A GUN when he's confronted by a police officer who orders him to drop it. The man reportedly points the gun towards the officer and he's shot and killed.

What would you have an officer do in this situation? Let the person go free until a non-lethal alternative presents itself? Perhaps the officer should potentially sacrifice their life trying to physically disarm the suspect?

It's all so easy to quarterback after the fact, but put yourself in their shoes for a minute, if you dare.

This morning, a suspicious person is at a local apartment complex and when approached by an officer, tries to run him over with his truck. The officer fires a couple shots in self-defense. The suspect gets away and is eventually pulled over and taken into custody.

I hope this isn't a trend that we will see continue in 2009.