Nick Dixon

What happened in Montreal today was a tragedy. A police officer and an innocent bystander lost their lives. To casually dismiss what happened by saying an officer “ran scared” or acted like a “little bitch” ignores the reality of what was unfolding in those moments. This officer had just witnessed a fellow police officer being shot and killed. She was then engaged in a firefight with an active shooter who was firing directly at her and was only metres away from her position. As she returned fire and sought cover from incoming rounds, she was operating in an environment of chaos, confusion, and extreme danger. In a fraction of a second, while focused on an armed suspect who had already demonstrated a willingness to kill, an innocent bystander suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision. These events unfold in milliseconds, not minutes. They are not viewed from multiple camera angles with the benefit of hindsight. They are experienced in real time, under life and death conditions, while bullets are flying. A thorough investigation is absolutely warranted. Every action taken should be reviewed and examined. But reducing a complex and tragic incident to insults and name calling does nothing to advance a serious discussion about what occurred. Today should be about acknowledging the loss of a police officer and an innocent civilian, allowing the investigation to take its course, and recognizing the extraordinary circumstances officers were facing as they confronted an active shooter. It’s easy to criticize after the fact. It’s much harder to understand what decisions look like when they have to be made in a split second during a gunfight.