Response on "Shoot to Kill", blog post #5

The mass-murder at Columbine High School in Colorado back in 1999 was a highly disturbing and tragic event. The seriousness of such school shootings is only compounded when one considers even more recent shootings such as the massacre at Virginia Tech, and the disgusting, unspeakable events at Sandy Hook Elementary in December of 2012. I cannot imagine the pain of family members who lost loved ones in these awful slaughters.
 After such an event as Columbine, anger is a necessary step in the healing process for those affected. In such extreme circumstances, the human brain tries to find someone to blame. The mind demands a form of recompense, and an execution of justice. Since the perpetrators cannot be punished due to their cowardice suicide, the blame falls upon individuals who, although they had good intentions, are demonized for following their orders. Such is the case of the Columbine victims families' suit of Jefferson County. As to the issue of whether this law suit is justified, I can honestly see both sides of the coin.
As a parent whose child was just murdered while able police officers simply stood outside, I would no doubt be furious about the situation. Personally, I am unsure if police knew the gravity of the situation inside the school. If however police were cognizant of the fact that people were being randomly killed without being held as hostages, the feelings of an angry parent are understandable. Assuming the latter is the case, A parent  may argue that an intrinsic sense of morality should compel an officer to intervene, even if they disobeyed orders by so doing. On the other hand, the officers present during the shooting likely were not trained to confront such a situation, and therefore did not enter the school despite their concern for the students and teachers inside.
The argument as to whether the previously mentioned lawsuit is justifiable must be examined in two separate ways. On an emotional level, the lawsuit makes perfect sense. Even while reading the essay, I personally took this position. Had it not been for the flawed policies of the police department, it is very likely that many lives could have been saved. The tardiness in providing aid to victims was inexcusable. However, when the lawsuit is examined on a purely logical level, this emotional reasoning is ultimately unsound. The police officers were simply following their orders. The shooting was a situation that the police department had likely never experienced before, and it is unfair to judge their actions based on what we now know. In this light, I am inclined to say that the parties affected by the Columbine shooting have no justifiable reason for suing Jefferson County. However, I want to be clear that I believe the emotions of the victim's families are just as valid as any amount of logic. These families experienced great pain, and they certainly should not be condemned for pursuing such a lawsuit; their motives behind so doing are very understandable.