9 people wounded were all hit by police...

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/justice/new-york-empire-state-shooting/

thankfully for those people they still have a life. but, yea expect the city to pay for the wounded care while in the hospital and if it affects life after wards.

What would have been preferred, that the NYPD took out the guy brandishing the semi-automatic weapon on a crowded street, or let him loose on the crowd? They did what they needed to do. If the cops hadn't been there to take care of business, then how much more death could there have been at the hands of this guy?

I'm with SB.

The incident also points out the gap between shootouts portrayed in movies and TV--and in real life. In fiction, everyone's an ace shot. In real life, the average foot patrolman seldom if ever discharges his weapon in the line of duty (thankfully). The department probably requires cops to practice at a range no more than two or three times a year. And, since the department is paying for range fees and ammo, they don't get to fire many rounds. A shootout like the one in NYC is instantaneous and very stressful for law enforcement--life and death when the bad guy is pointing his weapon at you. Very few people--cops or civilians--have the kind of specialized training to deal with those situations.

It is unfortunate that these people were shot. I can't imagine how I'd feel.

Any news on how THEY feel regarding being shot by the police? They were there and maybe they too see it as excusable considering the circumstances? OR are they angry?


TIS

I wouldnt be surprised if their is a lawsuit in the works from one of these bystanders that were shot by the NYPD.

Still, the shooting accuracy of NYC cops is worrisome. A few weeks ago the police shot a pitbull who was trying to protect his owner who had suffered a seizure. The dog was not allowing anyone to go near his owner and had charged at a cop. Two cops fired at the dog from no more than six feet away. They were shooting to kill. Long story short, the dog is OK now (thankfully). The two cops who fired at the gunman near the Empire State Bldg were no more than 8-9 feet away and they managed to wound nine innocent bystanders.

Make all the excuses you want but the simple truth is the police are way too inadequately trained with their firearms, and that is troubling.

We can argue all we want about "the stress of the moment" - and it's certainly true, as far as the police were concerned - but it is, no matter how I look at it, a very troubling outcome: Sixteen shots fired by the officers, nine civilians injured, either by direct hits or ricochets.

It's an absolute miracle that no innocent bystanders were killed. Had that happened, believe me, all hell would be breaking loose here. For the time being, it appears there is a rather "relaxed" (for want of a better word) attitude toward what happened. Of course, this may change in the coming days, but I still find it disturbing that so many bystanders suffered injuries.

Signor V.

I agree that they need better training. All the indoor and outdoor gun ranges here offer training in "tactical" (confrontational) shooting, controlling fire, dealing with stress--and that's for civilians as well as law enforcement. I bet money is the reason NYPD doesn't offer such courses.

Yep, money/budget cuts.

here was a good article that i came across that goes into detail about some of the shortcomings and possible solutions when it comes to the nypd and thier handgun training...


http://www.pointshooting.com/randinfo.htm

VERY interesting articles, FF! Thanks!