“I never intended to fire my weapon,” the sergeant said in a statement to Dallas police detectives following the Oct. 13 shooting of suspected drug dealer Michael Anthony Alcala, 25. “I never intended to have my finger on the trigger. I was only attempting to operate the flashlight mechanism.” And there you have it [via dallasnews.com]: the importance of practicing with all potential weapons systems in all potential situations in all possible conditions—before adding new kit. The case is deeply reminiscent of that of BART cop Johannes Mehserle, who shot Oscar Grant while intending to Tase him. In both instances, police departments provided the officer in question with a new piece of equipement without retraining. In the Dallas incident . . .
