Why Shoot to Kill?

When I think of someone shooting to kill I think of wartime atmosphere,  I think of a Spy who needs to assassinate the villain. What I don't think about is a police officer killing an unarmed man as he's running away. Every time I hear someone talk about in front of the class it amazes me why officer Darren Wilson decided to shoot Michael Brown as he was surrendering. I remember one slide disgusting how officers in the unit, were or instructed the aim for the main part of the body while shooting someone. It seems like a great idea until you kill an innocent life. The first time I learned about an incident like this was a couple years back.

 Following a daytime traffic stop for a non-functioning brake light. Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, was fatally shot by Michael Slager, a white North Charleston police officer. If you watch the video the atrocity committed becomes very clear. While as a police officer I'm sure there are a million things going through your head,  and you must make split-second decisions in the moment of time. However, I ask a simple question, why not shoot him in the leg? For me, there is an intrinsic issue with the way police officers are being instructed if they are fatally shooting an unarmed man in the back as they are running away.



After learning about the case of Mike Brown my belief was accentuated.  I will never fathom why there is so quick to rush to judgment and take a life, perhaps it is for self-preservation at the fear that they are in danger. However,  I for one have never perceived someone running away from me to be a danger to me. While the officer in the video was justifiably charged with murder, Darren Wilson is still a free man.