http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1941880/Mark-Saunders-shot-at-least-five-times-by-police.html

The debate over the use of lethal force by police marksmen has re-opened as it emerged that Mark Saunders, the barrister killed during an armed siege, was shot at least five times.

I wouldve shot him the the leg.

I 'spose they could have shot his hand off.

A couple of years ago a guy in a town a few miles from me was theatening people with a rifle so the armed police were called, and they surrounded him and gave him plenty of verbal warnings but he still shouldered the gun and pointed it at them, so they shot him and killed him and it turns out it was an unloaded air rifle. Everybody was whingeing about it, but they would be the first to complain if the police hadn't killed him and hed actully shot somebody.

The moral of the story is: If armed police tell you to drop a gun, you should listen or accept that you are likely to die.

*nods * sorry, irresponsible use of firearms results in death. If you're going to pick up a gun, you either need to be responsible, or you need to recognize that you will die. Making it necessary for someone else to shoot you(and if you're shooting at other people, it is) is about the same as shooting yourself in my book, and that gets little sympathy from me.

Nuke 'em

 Then crossed your fingers and hoped he didn't blow your head off?

Anyways, it's always sad to see people end up like this. But the cops did the right thing. Their job involves risking their lives every day, no sense in asking for it by playing nice with a trigger-happy psycho. 

Now this would be a good use for a tazer rather than on annoying students, drunk chicks, tough guys etc :)

yeah I probably would have shot to incapacitate. Perhaps hit a lung or something. But I agree with Mistershine. If you're a police officer and someone has a weapon aimed at you, you can't just assume that its an airsoft rifle or something.

You give him verbal warnings, and if he's stupid enough to still aim it at you, loaded or not, then I say you have the right to protect yourself and the citizens around you. If I were the police officer, I would shoot to incapacitate. Hit him where he would feel it and be downed immediately. I wouldn't ever shoot to kill, but when its the heat of the moment and the bullet happens to kill him, then whups.

you do know like the accuracy of police officers are 10-15%. This isn't like the movies, most people don't have the aim to shoot guns out of hands, or hit legs. They shoot the area that provides the maximum chance to hit and stop the target: the torso. If you get hit in the head, most likely that was an officer aiming at your chest and having terrible aim and hitting your head.

Police used necessary force, they shot back at crazed man. Hostile was neutralised.