I'll make this story as short as possible.  Two days ago I over heard a call on the radio that an officer on patrol had just witnessed a girl get shot with an arrow. I went to the scene to manage and direct the initial investigation. When I got to the scene, there was a 16 year old girl sitting on the sidewalk with a crossbow bolt sticking out of her back. I got the story from the patrol officers who witnessed it. They didn't see where the shot came from but we found some other bolts that matched it in a drive way. We had a pretty good idea where they came from and were able to take a suspect in for questioning. He confessed and told us where he hid the crossbow. He is 22 years old and a bit of a half wit. He was shooting out the window of his house at a car parked in the driveway across the street. The girl walked into his line of sight and was shot. They guys mother told him to lie about it and told him where to hide the crossbow. He was charged with felonious assault and she was charged with felony obstructing justice. The girl will recover but the surgeons had to split her open from front to back and crack her sternum. She will have terrible scars. What's worse is the courts will probably drop the charges on mom and reduce the charges on the shooter. These are the kind of people who keep a pig(not a pet) in their house. The officers who did the search of the house literally vomited in the front yard because of the overwhelming filth and stench these people lived in. These were not all rookie officers either, they have seen some pretty nasty homes. A couple of months ago a guy who was renting a "room" from the mother died in their attic and they left him there to putrefy before they called the police. When the officers went into the attic it was obvious these people had not cleaned up the mess yet. It is hard not to be cynical and withdrawn from society when you see things as senseless and unnecessary as this happen all too often. I can't express how badly I feel for this girl and her family. Life just ain't fair.

If the shooter is 22 he should be tried and if convicted, LOCKED UP!

I do feel sorry for the girl. If it were my daughter, I might be willing to trade my life for his.

"He is 22 years old and a bit of a half wit."

No, I should think he is a full blown half wit...

The only "good" aspect about this incident is the victim wasn't killed by "William Tell".

That's one of the problems with law enforcement as a profession.  You primarily see the bad side, which then reflects in your view of society.  The examples you give are fairly rare, just not rare enough.  These people aren't living as part of our society - they're a distinct minority that don't live by the same rules as the rest of us.  Using them as examples of why it's ok to be cynical and withdrawn is no different than those who believe that gang bangers represent the gun culture.  We, as responsible gun owners, are vilified based on the actions of a small, visible, destructive minority who we do not defend.  We, as a society, should not be judged based on the actions of a few we all detest.

I'm not making sweeping judgements of all people. I said it's hard not to be cynical and withdrawn, not impossible. This is just a little insight into a cops reality. We all see the world through our own experiences. Anyway the thread isn't about me it's about the incident. Sorry about the editorializing

I guess it takes a special type a of person to be involved in the scum and low-lifes of society like you mentioned on continual basis.  It would be real tough for me personally.  The girl was lucky she didn't bleed to death.