I was a cold, wet, hungry and tired rookie cop the night of my first standoff. I got the initial call, a domestic dispute, at 2AM, which was immediately upgraded when someone cranked off a few rounds. I flipped on the lights and sirens, floored the gas and was there in a couple of minutes.

I was the first on scene and, rather than knock on the door, I stopped and took cover. That’s when the mistakes started. First, I pulled directly in front of the house. Way too close, I realized and ran to the rear of my car and …

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