Friendly fire probably killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona near the Mexican border this week, the FBI said on Friday … a "tragic accident, the result of friendly fire."In the dark, it seems as if an agent heard a noise, saw a shadow, and other agents thought they were being fired on by an assailant – and agents shoot to kill when under attack. Border Patrol agents are intensively trained in the use of guns, and they are experts.
— David Schwartz, “Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death”, Reuters, 6 October 2012
It was daylight, and police in New York city were firing at a suspect:
nine bystanders were struck, cradling bloody arms or lying on the sidewalks and curbs …Police officers are intensively trained in the use of guns, and they are experts.
all nine were wounded by police bullets, bullet fragments or shrapnel from ricochets … the shooter … never fired another shot after killing a former co-worker …
— Michael Wilson, “After Bullets Hit Bystanders, Protocol Questions”, New York Times, 25 August 2012
People saw a silhouette of a person in the haze near the cinema screen, a person pointing a gun at the crowd and then shooting:
The shooting began during a gunfight scene in the movie, and at first, we thought it was special effects when smoke rose up. When shots happened again and people began to run, we thought something was up. A guy ran in and shouted there was a gunman in the building, and the alarms to emergency evacuate started to go off.There were more than ten people killed in the massacre. There have been many reactions to the Aurora massacre at the Batman movie:
— Patience Haggin, “Eyewitness Accounts of the Aurora ‘Batman’ Shooting”, Time NewsFeed, 25 August 2012
- One reaction (sane) is to wonder how access to guns can be regulated, and how to reduce the number of semi-automatic weapons owned by shooters in the USA.
- One reaction (hare-brained) claims that if everybody in the cinema was armed, the gunman would not have dared to fire.
Not long after the shooting, there was a tweet from a National Rifle Association (NRA) fundraiser:
Good morning, shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend plans?It’s an attitude thing.
— American Rifleman (@NRA_Rifleman), 20 July 2012 [more here]
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