Look Who it Was Random video

Officers Forced To Shoot

417 views · Published 21 June 2012 · 2:54 · Indexed 6 November 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

Watch on YouTube

by Karen Zatkulak  Newschannel 9 is taking a closer look at a moment that all police officers are prepared for, but none of them ever want to happen.  It's the moment when they're forced to draw weapons, and fire.  Those on the force have been forced to pull the trigger six times in the last two months in our area.We talked with a retired cop who now trains other officers on when to use deadly force.  In nearly 30 years as an officer, Mike Williams himself was involved in officer shootings three times.  It's three days of his career he'll never forget.  "It's something that you never want to be exposed to but it's the reality of the job especially if you're swat."That was Williams position with Chattanooga Police, and now he trains other officers on when to shoot.  "Many times there is a split second that he or she has to make a decision on life or death, and they have to be correct every single time."That scene has unfolded a lot recently.  On April 12th, police shot a suspect at an illegal poker game after he pulled a gun.. On April 16th, officers in North Georgia shot at, but missed, a 14 year old who lead law enforcement on a dangerous chase before opening fire himself.The next day, burglary suspect Nathan Trew pulled a gun on deputies in Catoosa County and they fired back, killing him. Last Friday, a DeKalb County deputy shoots and kills a man who led them on a chase and pointed a gun toward officers. Then, on Tuesday, two separate incidents in one night. One in Grundy County where deputies say this man attacked them with a knife, and they shot him. The other, in Fort Oglethorpe, when police shot a man burglarizing a business. We wanted to know whether officers aim to injure or aim to kill."Under that amount of stress and with things happening so fast, often in the dark, it's all an officer can do to hit the largest part of the target which is the torso," Williams says. It's a moment every officer hopes to avoid. Williams says, "It's something that stays with them for the rest of their lives and maybe their families too." All officers involved in shootings do take mandatory time off after those incidents. But Williams says it's an emotional experience that's hard to cope with.

More from this channel