re: Pharmacy shooting video

It's a more complex situation then the good result suggests. The probabilities seemed to favor a more tragic result. Good results sometimes obscure objective thinking.

One issue that should be considered is that sometimes the better outcome is to let the perp get away with the money. Banks have come to this conclusion. The reason is that if the perps know there will be weapons inside to protect the cash, their first move is to immediately put a bullet in the head of the guard or whoever they think may be carrying. That's not a good way for these encounters to begin. If the perp is committed to firing, and he thinks the employees are armed, his logical first move is to shoot two or three employees right away to take control of the situation.

The good outcome in this case may be a result of the perp being a drugged up fool who wanted to waive a weapon but was not committed to using it. In that case the danger may not have been so high if they had given the perp the register and some narcotics. With a more committed perp the odds of at least one of the employees taking a hit would likely go up significantly.