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WildBill wrote:A former LEO told me that some LEOs, even the "macho" and "gung-ho" types, can have severe psychological problems after shooting and killing someone. Even if the shooting was necessary to prevent themselves from being killed.

I know of one captain with more than 25 years on a department. Gung ho enough to still go out on calls. Went out with four other officers to serve a felony arrest warrant. They got into the hotel room with the wanted guy, who then drew a gun. Captain fired from a distance of across a room, along with other officers.

He retired from the department within a week because he never wanted to go through that again.

glock27 wrote:my instuctor did say and i quote "if you shoot them you better kill them, one story is better than two, dead men can't talk".

This is a really bad way to think, and is wrong besides. Well, maybe not literally wrong, but the basic premise is wrong. Dead men tell tales all the time through forensic examinations. And very rarely do these examinations reveal any falsehoods.

If you shoot, you shoot to stop the threat. If you shoot a man in the back, the dead body will clearly say if he was facing you, if he was turning towards or away from you, even if he had an arm up as in threatening the clerk when shot in some cases. It might be easier to show the lies the living wounded suspect is telling are lies than it would be to argue with the forensics from the autopsy.

Always tell the police the truth about the shooting, after you consult with your attorney.