Reply #30: No. They couldn't "just wound him." Police officers are taught to shoot to *STOP* ...

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... not shoot to kill, or shoot to wound. Shoot to STOP.

And given a situation in which an officer is facing an armed assailant who refuses to drop his weapon, and who poses an immediate threat to the officer or bystanders, shooting to STOP usually means aiming at center mass, because that's the quickest way to STOP the threat.

Quite frankly, an officer who shoots to wound only places himself and bystanders in danger by doing so, because that leaves the assailant with a very real opportunity to fire his weapon.