Police interaction and wartime interaction are two separate things. With a war scenario you can pretty much know who the enemy is you are shooting at, because they are shooting at you or moving in for an attack. A sniper has a specific target and eliminates it. Also, a sniper will usually NOT be going to the location that the insurgent was killed and see the person face-to-face.VMI77 wrote:Maybe that's true for some and not for others? I've never killed anyone so I can't speak to that personally, however, in his book, Chris Kyle makes it pretty clear he didn't feel any psychological toll, and he had a conscience, and he killed a lot of people. Now, there definitely would be a psychological toll taken courtesy of our media and legal system. But in a case like this the officer was not only justified, but it's highly probable he prevented this young criminal from killing someone else in the future --something the legal system was apparently unwilling even to attempt. It's also highly probable that if the officer hadn't killed him another thug would have in the not too distant future. I don't see why these officers should feel any guilt, pity, or self-recrimination for killing a thug in the midst of his thuggery.mojo84 wrote:There is definitely a psychological toll it takes when someone with a conscience takes another person's life, even when it is justified. Hopefully, that officer will be able to deal with this and move on with his career.
For police, the interaction is not as clear always, and you are dealing with someone up-close and personal. You put a face with the body you are looking at. It does play a heavier role in your acceptance of the fact you took a life and you watched that person die right in front of you. When I was a LEO I was involved in two shootings (I was not the shooter, but was a first hand witness.) In both cases before I knew the history of the individuals I witnessed a human being die right in front of me from a gunshot wound that I could have just as easily caused. It really plays on your psyche. Both of these guys were of the type that needed killing. One had hacked his mother and father to death with an ax and the other had a rap sheet as long as your arm for armed robbery and had only been out of prison for the 2nd time for 2 months before he was shot while robbing a quick stop. That was the only thing that helped all of the officers with the acceptance of the event.