They are reporting rumours. At least, the Gruniad is. It is reporting stuff that it believes has been leaked to it. That may prove correct - but it is certainly not fact.
Just now the IPCC felt compelled to deny at least one of those circulating rumours - the gun was a real gun, not a replica.
At the moment, there is no official report, though the Guardian has a rather good crime desk and their only mention of the fake gun rumour that I know of has been to say that it was a fake fake gun, as it were.
The Guardian can be a very good paper but, like all the other papers in the UK, it has a particular political agenda and prefers stories that pander to it.
If these reports turn out to be wrong, it can always say it was misinformed - and will, if it bothers at all. If they turn out to be correct it will pat itself on the back so hard it will fall forwards.
More seriously, I don't believe any of it at the moment. I will not be totally shocked if the Guardian reports are true, but I will be even less shocked if they prove false.
What I do know is that, if the other guy has a gun, you shoot to stop, which means shooting at the chest, which often means killing. This is true of every police force in the world. Standard practice. Only way to stop them doing it is to throw down your gun, stick you hands in the air, and yell "Don't shoot! I surrender!"
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 12:18 pm (UTC)Both they and the BBC are reporting the reports, not the actual report, so all this is subject to change, of course.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 12:21 pm (UTC)Just now the IPCC felt compelled to deny at least one of those circulating rumours - the gun was a real gun, not a replica.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 12:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 01:12 pm (UTC)If these reports turn out to be wrong, it can always say it was misinformed - and will, if it bothers at all. If they turn out to be correct it will pat itself on the back so hard it will fall forwards.
More seriously, I don't believe any of it at the moment. I will not be totally shocked if the Guardian reports are true, but I will be even less shocked if they prove false.
What I do know is that, if the other guy has a gun, you shoot to stop, which means shooting at the chest, which often means killing. This is true of every police force in the world. Standard practice. Only way to stop them doing it is to throw down your gun, stick you hands in the air, and yell "Don't shoot! I surrender!"