I'm not one to defend cops just about ever. But in cases like this it's kind of hard to argue against them, since that's basically arguing against science. The problem is that guns and wounds do not work the way they do in movies.
First of all, every police force trains to shoot at the center of mass to "neutralize", not to kill or wound specifically. That's because it's not possible to really make that distinction. The center of mass is the best target because it's the most likely to be hit. Aiming at the arm or legs is not really an option for a couple reasons.
For one, kneecapping someone is NOT a "safe" way to shoot them. The shock of getting hit in the leg is enough to put a big strain on even a healthy adult's heart, much less someone with a heart condition, and could easily kill someone even before blood loss...if you had a fully stocked ambulance and trained paramedics immediately nearby they MIGHT be able to defibrillator the person but that's if they are IMMEDIATELY nearby, not a 10 minute drive away. For that matter even if that doesn't take the person out the blood loss likely would in minutes. In Hollywood the person will just writhe around on the ground moaning before the ambulance showed up, but in reality they'd have to be shot on hospital grounds to get the needed medical attention in time. The person can survive (as many have) if the wound doesn't hit any vital veins but there is no way for any cop to know where that person's vital veins are, and even if they could it'd be impossible to aim for.
snip
Thanks BRTD. I did not know quite a bit of this.
