NYC Cops Oppose 'Shoot to Wound' Bill

New York City cops are outraged by a new “minimal force” bill that would demand they fire their weapons only “with the intent to stop, rather than kill” a suspect. The bill, inspired by Sean Bell's controversial death, mandates that officers aim for the suspect's arm or leg. “It's moronic,” the head of the Detectives Endowment Association complains to the New York Post. “It is not realistic, and it exists only in cartoons.”

Current NYPD training teaches officers to aim for the center of their target and fire until the threat has been stopped. Even with that mandate, in the heat of the moment, they hit their targets only about 17% of the time. The bill is currently on hold in the state Assembly. (More Sean Bell stories.)