In your second paragraph you go on about cops missing their intended target when they are trying to hit them and you use that as a justification to your first sentence and say "well if they can do that then why not just go ahead and shoot in the general direction". Kinda like an intentional, controlled miss huh? Non sense.In the general direction of the perp, but at an angle so that it's likely to strike the ground. Something like "knee-level".
Yes, there's a chance of collateral damage, or that a stray round might hit a bystander. However, those conditions exist for every cop who's trying to hit the perp! Cops often miss their intended target, not to mention rounds that might pass through the perp!We've all read accounts of shoot-outs, and in most of these, there were far more misses than hits. In the heat of the moment, accuracy goes out the window.
BTW..Just for the record I am in agreement with pretty much everyone else that this was not a good shoot. I'm just commenting on the nonsense of warning shots.