An Atlanta Police Department recruit officer was sitting in his personal car when he was approached by a teenager armed with a shotgun. The off-duty recruit officer had been sitting in his car in the parking lot of his apartment complex using the free community wireless Internet on his laptop when the criminal approached him and ordered the officer out of the car. The quick-thinking Atlanta officer used his laptop computer to conceal his hand as he brought his pistol to bear on the offender. The criminal, looking at the computer instead of his victim, never saw the officer’s gun that ended his criminal activity.

While someone, I’m sure, mourns the loss of the criminal teen, society should not. Robbing people at gunpoint suggests this criminal would have been a parasite on the Atlanta community, causing much pain and grief for innocent, law-abiding people in his community.

The lessons of this story for officers should be the following:

1. Always carry a firearm off-duty. You may never need it, but if you do, nothing else is an adequate substitute.
2. Do not hesitate to act. When your life is in danger, decisive action with overwhelming force is your best chance for survival. Hesitation betrays your intentions. The moment when you can act will pass quickly, and you may not get a second chance.
3. Be careful where you sit. Although this officer was off-duty in his personal car, the lesson is applicable to on-duty status as well. Most of us sit in our car to do our paperwork. Make sure you choose a relatively safe location to do so. A place where you can see who is approaching and where you have an escape route is good. Sitting with another officer so he or she can watch while you write (or type) is best.
4. Continue shooting until the threat is neutralized. Early reports indicate that the Atlanta police recruit shot the criminal multiple times and the perp did not return fire. If a threat is worth shooting once, it is worth shooting twice…or 15 times. As long as someone is a threat, continue perforating them with bullets. Cease fire only when the threat is no longer a threat.
5. Always watch the suspect’s hands. This officer concealed the movement of his hands until he had brought his firearm to bear on the perp. Reverse the situation, and you are the cop on a traffic stop ordering the driver out of the car. Do not be distracted…watch the hands!

The following article is the “news” that was published by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Notice how they downplay the fact that the officer had a gun pointed at him. Also note that the writer failed to mention the gun pointed at the officer was a shotgun. So much for fair journalism.

Stay safe!

Teen shot by police recruit identified
No charges filed against ex-Marine

No charges have been filed against an Atlanta Police recruit who shot and killed a teenage boy who allegedly tried to rob him of a laptop computer, authorities said.

Forest Park Police continued their search Sunday for a second person who may have acted as a lookout in the alleged robbery attempt.

DeMario Jackson, 14, of Atlanta, was killed outside the Parkside Crossing apartments by the unidentified Atlanta Police recruit, who told police the teen tried to rob him about 12:15 a.m. Saturday.

Forest Park police Lt. Amy Wright said Jackson suffered more than one gunshot wound.

According to the recruit, Jackson “was definitely not alone,” Wright said.

The recruit told police that Jackson pulled a gun on him as he sat in his vehicle in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He was logged on because the complex offers free wireless Internet service, Wright said.

The recruit said he heard a tap on the driver’s side window and looked up to see Jackson standing next to the car. Wright said the recruit believed Jackson wanted his laptop. The recruit could not roll down his window because it was broken, so he began to open the door, Wright said.

As the recruit stood up, she said, he grabbed a handgun that he had at his side and hid it with the laptop. Then the recruit fired at Jackson, killing him.

The recruit, who police said they would probably not identify until Monday, had been in the Marine Corps and lives at Parkside Crossing. She said he is attending the Atlanta police academy.

Wright said the department’s investigation continues but that the shooting appears to be self-defense.