Get a deeper understanding of police shootings through interviews with officers involved in real-life cases Today’s media is filled with discussions about officer-involved shootings. Too often missing from that discussion are the police officers’ voices and the reality of what happens in actual shooting incidents. Through interviews with involved officers, this book addresses common myths and misunderstandings about these shootings. Shots Fired is a journey “behind the shield” and the experiences of the real human beings behind the badge. It explores true events through the participants’ own eyes and takes readers inside the minds of officers during the actual event. The officers detail the roller coaster of emotions and severe trauma experienced during and after a shooting event. Along with the intimate, in-depth explorations of the incidents themselves, the book touches the aftermath of police-involved shootings—the debriefings, internal and external investigations, and psychological evaluations. It challenges many commonly held assumptions created by the media such as the meaning of “unarmed” and why the police can’t just “shoot him in the leg,” creating an understanding that reaches beyond slogans such as “hands up, don’t shoot.” The book is valuable reading for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of police shootings—officers and police departments, reporters and politicians, and the public who rely on the police to keep them safe. “ Shots Fired is a compelling book. If you want to learn and appreciate what being a cop means you must read this book now.” —Colonel (ret.) David Hunt , New York Times bestselling author, Fox News military and terrorism analyst “A thoughtful and timely book, Shots Fired goes beyond the headlines to educate the reader while at the same time delivering harrowing accounts of officers under the gun.” ?SFPD Sgt. Adam Plantinga , author of 400 Things Cops Know “ Shots Fired is a gripping account of what really happens when police officers find themselves in deadly-force encounters. The author points out that ‘from the Michael Brown incident on August 9, 2014 to the end of that year, forty-seven officers were killed by gunfire alone.’ Yet how many can cite their names? In an era when so many are demonizing law enforcement, this book reveals the humanity of those brave souls who walk the thin blue line.” —Thomas Jackson , author of Policing Ferguson, Policing America “A very important book that reveals, in stark detail, the grim realities beyond the inflammatory headlines of officer-involved shootings. Shocking, heartbreaking, and eye-opening, the up-close-and-personal accounts in Shots Fired will make you reconsider all you thought you knew about police work.” —Catherine Pelonero , New York Times bestselling author of Kitty Genovese “ Shots Fired by Loughlin and Flora is a valuable addition to the literature of use of force, and a breath of fresh air and common sense in the current debate.” —Massad Ayoob , author of Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense “ Shots Fired is must-reading for anyone with a sincere interest in the realities of deadly force incidents. It captures the nature of these events and the all-too-real human factors that are in play. It is educational, deeply moving, and a revelation of the searing personal experience that using deadly force inflicts upon our law enforcement officers. All concerned and interested citizens should read it, and if I had my way it would be mandatory reading for any reporter contemplating a story on a police shooting.” —Urey W. Patrick , author of In Defense of Self and Others “By focusing on the emotional stories that cops told the author about their experiences during and after officer-involved shootings, Shots Fired provides compelling information about the critical matter of the role that deadly force plays in modern American police work.” —David Klinger , professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, author of Into the Kill Zone “Pulling the trigger is not a casual event, especially for a police officer whose mission is to ‘preserve and protect.’ The more our citizenry understand about the pressures these officers must endure to do their jobs well, the better for our society. Our contribution to their efforts on our behalf is to be aware and informed.” —James Hawes , former Navy SEAL officer “This book offers us a peek behind the headlines at the human beings whose lives were changed forever by their actions. The candid interviews with police officers involved in a shooting incident are sobering and terrifying. By the time the whole truth is available the media has moved on. These accounts remind us there is always more than one side to the story.” —Lynne Finch , author of Female and Armed “The best thing a good book can do for you is to open your mind. It is not always a comfortable process, but it is always