Reluctant Expert in Crime

"Daren, don't forget to get me that report from earlier on my desk before you leave," my superior barked at me, tapping his knuckles on my desk as he passed it. 

"Yes, sir." I dropped my gear off and grabbed a drink from the water cooler. I had just entered the station after being out all day on calls. Shuffling back to my desk, I flipped open my work issued laptop and began typing up my report.

11/9/20XX

Report by Officer Daren Richardson 

Title: Officer from the XXXX Precinct

A phone call was relayed to us by 911 operators from someone located in rural XXXX regarding a murder attempt. The phone call was cut short, alarming 911 operators and the seriousness of the situation skyrocketed. I was sent to assist along with several other officers from our Precint as well as a few from the surrounding precincts with more to arrive as back up. I flipped on my lights and sirens and raced to the location. I was first to arrive on scene. There was a farmhouse with a black four by four truck license plate number xxx-xxx and a silver two door car license plate number xxx-xxx. Upon approaching the farmhouse I pulled in behind both vehicles to prevent any easy escapes while simultaneously running the plates for any dangerous hits during which a man who looked to be five foot nine inches with grey hair and a burly build poked his head out of his home and said "Get off my property. Now." Then he proceeded to fire his shot gun twice in my direction. I quickly spoke into my radio, reporting the situation to my fellow officers who were just arriving or still on their way. I was told to wait for backup as more of my fellow officers arrived on the scene. We were then given the okay to proceed. One of the officers pulled out a megaphone from his vehicle and proceeded to tell the suspect to come out with his hands raised and where they could be seen. The suspect did not come out. Slowly I got out of my vehicle and crouched around the other vehicles. A few of my fellow officers followed suit to get a better visual on what is going on on the inside. We made it up to the house with our guns drawn, ready to defend if need be. I peered through the windows to assess the situation. Upon further inspection I saw a person with long hair laid face down in a puddle of blood. Later this person would be identified as the suspects daughter who was pregnant with child. At the time the person did not appear to be breathing and was presumed as unconscious. The suspect then saw one of the officer's movements that were surveying the situation as well and proceeded to fire four more times in our direction clipping two of my fellow officers, one officer in the leg and the other officer in the arm. As the suspect was reloading, two officers started giving medical aide to the injured officers while myself and one other officer proceeded to bust down the door and demand the suspect come out with his hands raised. Suspect fled through the house where we proceeded to then follow him, checking to make sure the area was safe. Upon securing the area, we found a male, six foot one inch, dark hair, face up with a gunshot wound through the head. The officer I was with bent down to check his pulse but shook his head. We continued to chase the suspect down. He had by this point fled out of the farmhouse and into the back pasture which contained a field for corn. We called it in to our superiors and we were called to hang back given the dangerousness of the situation. They brought in the dogs and had a search helicopter fly overhead. Suspect was then spotted and taken down by Officer XXXX's gun after suspect began firing wildly toward us. Suspect was checked for signs of life but was announced dead upon the arrival of the EMTs. Back in the house the detectives began investigating. From the looks of it the suspect fought with the dead male and shot him. The female tried fleeing the farmhouse but wasn't able to so instead she tried calling the situation in to authorities. No gunshot wound was visible on her but there was speculation of suspect shoving her to get her away from the phone. The shove ended up making her trip and her head hit the counter knocking her out. Her open wound on her scalp due to hitting the counter had led her to bleeding to death. The connection was made that the woman was married to the dead male. A connection was also made that the suspect was the woman's estranged father. Evidence was found that the father had threatened to kill the husband previously due to the husband keeping the wife away from the suspect to protect their child that was on the way. It was established that this was not the father's first physical act of violence. He was identified as XXXXXX and had multiple previous offenses including but not limited to verbal assaults, harrassment, physical assaults, threatening of harm. Restraining orders were put against him as well. The case was then wrapped up and I was then called off the scene to assist another call of distress.

Signed: Officer Daren Richardson 

I finished my report and handed it to my superior. He gave it a glance over and gave me a grim smile. "Tough day kid. You did well." 

I returned his grim smile with one of my own. "It's sad, isn't it? When things like this no longer seem to bother you as much as they once had." I remembered my first murder scene. I hadn't slept for weeks afterwards without nightmares. Now I had planned to go home and cook dinner. My thoughts were more toward tonight's menu versus the horrors I had seen today. I had loved helping people all of my life but I was becoming knowledgeable in ways I didn't care for. The more I was exposed the less it started to bother me and that was worrisome.

My superior looked at me with a sad smile, tears in his eyes. "That's what happens when you become an expert in criminals. An expert in murderers."