Blitzer to Toobin: Why Can’t Police Just ‘Shoot to Injure’ Instead of ‘Shoot to Kill’?

Wolf Blitzer discussed the shooting of Ferguson teenager Michael Brown on CNN today, and asked Jeffrey Toobin why police don’t just “shoot to injure.” He said instead of officers going right to “shoot to kill” if they believe they’re in danger, they could fire a warning shot or just shoot to injure instead.

Blitzer asked, “Why can’t they shoot a warning shot in the air to scare someone off if they think they’re in danger? Why can’t they shoot to injure?”

Toobin said that cops are told to “never fire a warning shot” or to injure, because if an officer is going to fire a gun, they have to accept the risk that they might kill someone. And, he said, if cops are told to shoot to injure, they might start shooting “more often.”

Blitzer noted how based on eyewitness accounts, Brown was raising his hands and he appeared not to have a weapon, so there seems to be no serious threat that would have led to an officer shooting him.

Watch the video below, via CNN:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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