[sagar]

Regardless of this case, warning shots are idiotic. When you draw the weapon, you meant it to kill somebody. If you do not mean to kill, don’t draw.

[Riley]

Indeed. What’s next, you’ll get dragged into court and some idiot attorney will ask why you didn’t shoot the gun out of the perp’s hand?

[ThunderSleeps]

That's the way I was taught. You don't draw unless you feel your life or someone else's life is in grave danger. If that is the case, why would you fire a warning shot? Why are you not immediately ending the threat? Why are you endangering others with stray rounds? You are responsible for every round that leaves your weapon - no matter what the intent is, you are responsible for the result.

If it isn't life threatening, don't bring deadly force into play. (draw) If it is life threatening, end the {expletive} threat right now. What if your weapon jams after that spurious warning shot? While you're trying to clear it you or some other innocent ends up gravely injured or dead. When it is life or death, you take no chances, period.

[DesertRhino]

Samurai talk aside, warning shots are not always idiotic. The drawn gun must not taste blood. That’s moronic. Warning shots are rare, but there is a time and place for everything.
In uncommon circumstances, it is a final communication to someone that you are indeed armed, and are switched on to their behavior.

Keyboard commando talk aside, it has resolved issues before. I know of an armed robber being pursued by a cop. After a winding chase through farm fields at night, the cop found it impossible to describe where he was. The bad guy bailed from the car and ran. Alone in the middle of nowhere, the cop fired a shot into the plowed earth. The crook dropped his gun and surrendered.
The US Coast Guard does it quite often too.
Fighters on intercept have used it to signal final intent.

In most circumstances, no, but its idiotic to say its always idiotic.

[DesertRhino]

We also draw to be ready. We also draw to be ahead of the curve. When we draw many things can happen. The bad guy can burst into prayer and surrender. They can decide to try to continue their action. They can flee. They can simply freeze and not comply, but not continue the action.
They can do almost anything. And yes Virginia, there are circumstances where you can not reasonably fire an accurate shot, but that you can signal your presence.

Say you see a feral attack on a loved one from a distance. Down by the river bank. You want the action to stop before they take one more kick to the head, but you cannot risk hitting the innocent one. That warning shot might be the thing that lets them know they had better flee or face you, rather than continue the attack. Because you are closing in.

And ever hear of SOP for prison fights on the yard? More than one of those has been stopped by a few warning rifle
shots from the tower indicating that the next shots will be lethal.
Warning shots have been used at roadblocks in the Middle East wars.

They are sometimes a terrible idea, and other times, just the ticket. Don’t be so linear, everything is on the table in bad situations.

[Salamander]

My dad taught me to shoot based on the truth that a dead man can’t testify against me.

No warnings.