How was the cop supposed to know that? It's so easy to sit back after the fact and say, well, just get really, really, really close to the suspicious-acting person waving a gun, and check and see if it's real first. But you'd have a lot more dead cops that way.
The person I was posting to said this:
but what was the cop supposed to do... get close enough to see that it wasnt a real gun and get shot?
My only point in my response was that the cop would not have been shot. It was not a real gun.
You won't find anyone more pro-law enforcement than me. My best friend is a sheriff. I've been with his deputies when they were shot at. I've spent many, many, many hours hanging out with them while they are working and while they are playing.
But in this situation, no crime was committed. Cops inserted themselves into a situation when they had not been called upon. The only danger that existed was in their heads.
I am not blaming the cop, though I suspect he is blaming himself all the time. But - again - the people here who immediately cast blame on the parents or the kids were off base, in my opinion.