There are approximately 240 million 911 calls made per year. Obviously some are for non violent events. Many others require a police officer walking into what may be a life threatening situation.
If you call 911 during a home invasion, for a prowler, etc, there are a few things to remember.
1) The police aren't psychic. They can't tell the good guys from the bad guys at first glance.
2) Stay on the phone (if possible) with the 911 dispatcher. Let them coordinate when you come out to meet the police. This is especially true if there has been a shooting. Let them know what you look like, what you're wearing, where you are, etc.
3) Don't greet the police with a weapon in your hand.
4) You might consider meeting the police with empty hands. Unarmed citizens have been shot in the past when their wallets, phones, etc, have been mistaken for handguns.
5) The police officers may be as nervous as you are.
6) The responding officer may be a rookie instead of a seasoned veteran making his 100th response to a call about a prowler.
All of that should be a given, but people make mistakes under stress.
I don't know all of the details of this story. The reporting is so so, and more information will come out as time passes. From the information given, it does appear that the homeowner made a few mistakes when coming out to meet the police. Learn from her errors, and hopefully you will not share her fate.
Woman Shot By Deputy After 911 Call
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