Ask the Chief

Recently, a young man was shot by an officer during an active shooter incident at a mall in Alabama. The young man had a concealed carry and had pulled his weapon to help others.

As reported by HuffPost, "The officer, who was not identified, mistakenly targeted Bradford after he was seen running toward one of the shooting victims while holding a handgun."

This is every officer's worst fear when responding to an active shooter call ... encountering an honest person who has a concealed carry and who is trying to help others.

When split seconds count, it can be incredibly difficult to determine if the person holding a gun is trying to help or is trying to kill innocent people. In fact, off-duty officers have been killed by uniform officers in similar circumstances.

If you are a conceal carry person, you need to be very aware that this can happen to you when you are in the middle of an active shooter situation.

My advice — if you know officers are in your area and if the active shooter is not in your area; holster your weapon, be a good witness and provide medical attention to those in need.

As an officer, I respect and appreciate the fact that you are out there and willing to help. What I don't want to do is to shoot you because I thought you were a danger to myself or others.