You are wrong. It is obvious that you have never been in a position to have to kill someone. It doesn't matter how justified it is, or how clearly right you were, there is still a sense of second guessing, wondering what would have happened if things hadn't gone differently, and yes, even guilt.
There is never absolute clarity in a situation like that, because you can't see 5 seconds into the future. You will spend the rest of your life wondering what that 5 seconds would have looked like if you had acted differently.
I could have saved several people and I should have shot the guy.
If you kill somebody, you can't ever find out what would have happened if you didn't.
Don't think you can go through this life doing what is necessary without feeling bad about it.
Look I respect you, and your thoughts, but I want to make a few things clear here.
I DO NOT EQUATE GUILT WITH "FEELING BAD". I feel bad that you spent a long time telling me how I should feel, but it is not my fault you don't understand the difference between the two emotions; therefore, I am not guilty for your misunderstanding.
Guilt has a special connotation or extra emotion attached to it. Guilt includes wrongdoing. Guilt happens when you condemn yourself, are condemned by others, or by a set of values.
I never once argued that a "SELF DEFENSE" shooting would be clear as day. Or that I would react instaneously without discretion. Even with a lot of training people hesitate, but it can get you in trouble. The goal would be to be clear minded as possible.
I have been put in many deadly situations, and I refuse to grandstand on those situations or use them for arguments sake; however, I will tell you I never once contemplated wether someone was a father, son, or brother. That's just ridiculous. I might think about things like that if I were Jon Lee Malvo, and I were hiding in the back of a van shooting at innocent people. Sure people have lives and families, but that doesn't make evil men good, and it doesn't make me guilty of anything. Would you feel bad after the fact.... Of course unless you are a SOCIOPATH. Im I going to sit around and condem myself because some AK-47 toting moron American hater has kids... NO
You are lecturing me about how I should be guilt stricken, and yet you give an example of where you didn't shoot, but really should have. Then you go on to basically explain that what you did was wrong. You blame yourself for the way this incident played out.
Look I have never had to shoot in to a crowd of innocent people. I cannot say what I would do. That is tough. In most situations including police shootings more rounds don't hit the target than do. Very rarely do other innocent people get hurt.
Contrary to popular belief law enforcement does not use hollow points to prevent bullets from going through people. Somewhere around 80% of the rounds never hit the target in the first place.
I would say your situation was extremely tough "mentally", and it would have been for a trained professional as well. Knowing that you are more than likely going to hurt innocent people changes a lot IMO. Don't beat yourself up.