You know that's a bad analogy, though. The potential consequence in this particular instance is being shot, if he's wrong about the 12 year old. And 12 year olds come in all shapes and sizes, it hardly needs to be said, and can of course use small firearms as well as anyone, ceteris paribus. I agree. But I do not criticize (in shades of grey situations such as that one) because I've never been there. I've never had less than a second to figure out if someone was going to shoot me or not. I have no idea what I'd do, so in the interest of avoiding hypocrisy I attempt to be as fair as possible.But then we have cops pulling the trigger at the drop of a hat, rarely facing ANY significant consequences.
I think a police officer, who has a considerable amount of training, and has sworn to protect the people and uphold the law, even when it puts their life in danger should take more than a split second to make a decision when faced with a 12 year old with a gun.