The summer sun beat down on the city as 27-year-old Lieutenant Bogo raced up the stairs of the office building with his partner, rookie cop Officer Greyson, a grey wolf who had only been in the force for just over two months. The day itself was rather uneventful, with both officers enjoying a quiet patrol when they were called down to a crime scene that was a first of its kind: the Zootopia Central Bank was being held up by a group of armed robbers. They were quite clearly inexperienced, thinking the job would be a quick in-and-out operation before they realized the main reason no one has ever tried to rob the ZCB - the security was among the best of its kind. An alarm was quickly tripped, notifying the police of an intrusion. Things weren't looking too good for the criminals as the ZPD slowly but efficiently surrounded the bank's entrance, trying to decide how to best proceed. Hell, they didn't even know how many mammals were in the building at the moment.
Bogo's and Greyson's task upon their arrival was simple - survey the area just outside the bank from a vantage point on one of the many taller buildings surrounding the building in question. Despite being a rookie, Greyson was quick to point out a building that suited their needs perfectly, providing them a great overview of the scene, yet keeping them well-hidden as well. The duo had only been working together for two months, but very quickly it became evident their skill-sets complemented each other perfectly - Bogo was the stronger one, often going for a more "intimidating" approach when solving cases, relying on brute force to simply overpower crooks and arrest them (which, many years down the road, would also reflect in his selection of almost exclusively large mammals for his precinct), while Greyson was a much more tactical thinker, trying to plan ahead and outsmart criminals to catch them, and keep fellow officers out of danger, even though he too, was fairly strong himself. Thankfully, this afternoon they wouldn't be going into the fray that could potentially begin in the event of a raid on the bank.
Bogo unpacked his designated marksman rifle - a weapon more akin to a sniper than an assault rifle, but was designed for officers not specializing in long-range shooting. It had the range, but was still simple enough to operate for any officer in the force. Greyson, acting as a spotter, adjusted his binoculars to focus on the bank's main entrance - a grand archway with massive glass doors and a marble floor visible just behind them on the inside of the building.
"Operations, Bogo and Greyson are in position", the buffalo spoke into his radio, letting the makeshift command center set up in the streets below know they were ready.
"Roger, standby for instructions.", the mammal on the other side of the line replied, the voice slightly distorted by the static.
The officers waited for a few minutes, feeling the tension growing in the area as the clock ticked on and the ZPD lost precious time - time in which they could have raided the bank and gotten everyone out.
"So I see you chose the DMR for this one eh?", Greyson suddenly asked, feeling the need to ease the tension a little.
"Yeah, that's the one", Bogo replied, nodding towards the weapon in his hooves. "Truth be told, I've never fired one at a live target - hopefully won't have to today either."
Despite being in the force for just under 5 years, the buffalo thankfully never had to fatally shoot anyone. Sure, he used lethal weapons before, sometimes even resorting to firing warning shots and occasionally incapacitating a criminal, but never anything beyond that.
Before they could continue the conversation, the radio crackled to life again.
"Attention all units, we're sending in two officers into the building to try deescalating the situation. They will have wires on them, so do pay attention to anything that is heard from them. We have very limited information on what's going on inside, so we'll have to play this one by ear everyone."
The prospect didn't look good. It was understandable as to why no plan could be made - the ZCB was a massive establishment, with thousands of mammals visiting daily for a variety of reasons. There's no telling what awaited the officers beyond the doors inside until someone scouted the area out. Still, improvising was certainly not the best option. For all they knew, this could have put the criminals several steps ahead of them. They may have been an inexperienced group of robbers, but they most likely still had a plan.
The paid focused on the entrance as a pair of officers entered the building - a lynx and an antelope, weapons in their holsters to avoid sparking any aggression. Bogo stared intently through the scope of his large-caliber rifle while Greyson stood absolutely still - barely breathing as he watched and listened to the situation unfold through his binoculars.
"Operations, this is Officer Hornsby", a voice came through the radio, most likely the antelope relaying information to the group waiting outside.
"Hornsby, operations - go ahead."
"No signs of a fight on the inside and no signs of security either - it seems they most likely took them out quietly as they got in, probably through an alternate entrance. The group is 6 masked mammals, all ocelots by the looks of it. 17 hostages."
"Hornsby, could you please repeat that last part?"
"Roger, I repeat - 17 hostages, all on their knees and held at gunpoint... suspects armed with automatic rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. They certainly came prepared."
The report was interrupted by what seemed to be a loudspeaker switching on inside the bank, picked up the wires on the officers.
"Officers, stand down. I'm sure you don't want anyone hurt here, so we recommend you listen to our demands", an unknown voice spoke - probably one of the attackers.
A tense silence followed.
"The list is not a long one, so I'm sure you could figure something out", the voice continued, echoing through the massive hall of the bank. "ONE: we request you call off all raids and clear the area. We want to leave as we are, with no arrests made. TWO: each one of us is allowed to carry out whatever cash from the vaults we have managed to take before you all burst in. We have roughly $30 million total in our bags, you have my word for it, that's all we've taken - I'm sure that's only pennies relative to what the bank has."
Another pause.
"That's it. Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? We're giving you 30 seconds to decide, or we'll have to take extreme measures."
"Operations, don't listen to them, it's a bluff.", an officer said through the open channel.
"Negative, officer", Hornsby interrupted, "if you were here you'd probably think otherwise."
"They're clearly beginners, you could tell how quickly they set off the alarms. They don't have the guts to do anything extreme.", a third officer piped up.
"Guys, we don't have much time, the two of us are outmammaled and outgunned here. Come up with something quick.", a fourth voice came, probably that of the lynx inside the building.
The channel was silent. Bogo checked his wristwatch. They had only seconds to decide what to do. The time limit came and went, and no offer from the police came.
"Well, officers, I'm sorry, but you're out of time.", the voice from the loudspeaker stated, before the wires picked up what sounded like the loading of weapons.
"FUCK, NO!", Hornsby could be heard shouting, before a loud bang was heard on the radio channel.
"Officer down! Off...", the antelope shouted before he himself was silenced.
"SWAT teams, go go go.", the command center ordered, an almost contradictory sense of calmness in the operator's voice, greatly contrasting the carnage that was happening inside the bank.
Within less than a minute, the group of criminals was led out, all of them with their paws in the air. However, something was off. There were supposed to be 6 of them, but Bogo could only count 5... was one of them killed?
"One of them's getting away!", Greyson shouted beside him into the radio. "Just off to the left side of the entrance there's an alley. Suspect's making a run for it"
Sure enough, one of the masked attackers was sprinting towards an alley - out of sight of the majority of the police gathered outside the entrance. If nothing was done, Bogo guessed they had roughly 10 seconds before the criminal got away entirely. This was the exact reason they were put on a rooftop - to catch anyone who tried to escape. Unfortunately, it seemed as if none of the officers on the ground could catch the criminal, given the distance he already covered. That left them with one option...
"Lieutenant Bogo - there's nothing we can do. Change of plan - take the shot.", came the order from the command center.
"Sir... but...", the buffalo began to protest.
"Bogo, take the shot. If he dies, he dies. He knew what was coming", his superiors ordered, their voices as calm as always, but commanding nonetheless.
The buffalo breathed out and steadied his sights. Ideally, he could maybe shoot the ocelot in the leg and knock him down, but he suddenly realized the only shot he'd have was one to the head. Accounting for the time the bullet had to travel in the air, the criminal would already be mostly concealed by the various obstacles scattered around the entrance of the alley. his head would be the only part of the body that was exposed.
He steadied the rifle and pulled the trigger.
The weapon kicked back as the bullet was propelled forward. Within a second or so, the suspect below them lurched and fell over, blood splattering all over the wall across from him as the large bullet pierced his skull with ease. It was a rather gruesome scene.
"Suspect down", Greyson spoke through the radio.
"Good job Bogo. You may have just saved the city.", the commanding officer congratulated him.
It was later found that the suspect he killed was the group's leader and mastermind behind the attack, with a record of past offences. He must have escaped during the firefight with the SWAT team, and had he gotten away, this would certainly not have been his last crime. As it was later learned, he was also the one who ordered the slaughter of all the hostages when the police didn't reply to their demands. They were dead - 17 innocent mammals, each one ruthlessly shot, in addition to the 2 officers who went in to negotiate. It was a miracle, however, that the ZPD managed to bring all the other suspects in alive, albeit most of them were injured to various degrees in the gunfight.
A day of mourning was announced by the mayor after this terrible tragedy, but nonetheless, Bogo was hailed a hero in the city - having eliminated a criminal who could have potentially terrorized the population for years to come had he escaped. If he was ready to kill 17 civilians at a whim, there was no telling what other terrible things he'd be ready to do in the future.
Despite the recognition, the award ceremony, and even a promotion to the rank of Captain, the buffalo didn't feel proud. He felt no sense of elation that was always portrayed in movies and cop shows when the villain was gone. He felt incredibly guilty - regardless if the mammal was a murderer, he was still a living being. Regardless of his crime, it seemed to Bogo he had no right to decide whether he lived or died. Nonetheless, it was his job, and in the years to come he would be involved in more operations that would result in deaths of criminals, fellow officers and sometimes even civilians, both bystanders and hostages alike. It never got easier, but ultimately, he had to protect the city, even if it meant going to these extremes.
"So there you have it", Chief Bogo concluded as he took a moment to survey the two younger officers in front of him. Both had looks of extreme surprise on their faces, eyes wide and mouths open.
The incident Bogo described was eerily similar to what Nick and Judy had just experienced in City Hall, albeit on a smaller scale - it seems some things never change.
"No matter how many operations I've gone through", he continued, "I still haven't forgiven myself for that day. Hell, I thankfully haven't had to shoot many mammals in my years as a field officer, but nonetheless, it doesn't get easier, and rightfully so. Taking a life never feels right, even if it's the life of a dangerous criminal who could otherwise kill innocent mammals if left alive. However, it's something we sometimes have to resort to in extreme cases. Sometimes there is no other way to go about it but to take the shot."
"I'm sorry", Judy muttered, in a barely audible whisper.
"Don't be", Bogo replied. "I just want to let you two know you're not alone in this. You have everyone's support here."
"What happened to Greyson? The two of you seemed like you were good friends", Nick asked, "did he..."
"No, Officer Greyson, or should I say - Chief Greyson is still alive and well. He's the chief or Precinct 4. The two of us had great careers as partners in the force, but obviously as we rose up the ranks, we eventually got split up. We're still great friends though."
The fox and bunny nodded. Neither had expected the Chief to reveal such an emotional story, given his normally tough exterior. Nonetheless, it seems there's always some way to get to someone. Killing a mammal was universally awful for almost everyone.
Bogo slowly slid Nick's badge across the table towards the still-distraught fox. Despite the Chief's reassurance, he was still haunted by the fact he had also killed a mammal.
"Put your badge back on Wilde.", the Chief said encouragingly. "You can't keep putting all the blame on yourself for what occurred. In a firefight, anything can happen - it's life or death and all bets are off. That coyote knew full well what he was going for and the risks involved. He knew he might not, hell, he probably wouldn't have made it out alive. I know you feel terrible right now, but you're an officer. As unfortunate as it is, you must also learn to move on. Yes, it's a good thing you feel awful about it, I'd be very concerned if you didn't feel bad about killing someone. Let yourself feel awful, it's perfectly normal, but you also have a job to do. We, as officers, need to protect the city, and sometimes the costs may be great - sometimes mammals will die."
He let the words sink in for a few seconds, before picking up the badge and handing it to the fox. Nick looked up at it, before silently taking it pinning it to his uniform once more.
"Good", Bogo stated, before turning to face Nick. "Now, I'm going to give you this assignment, but I know some officers don't take incidents like this as lightly as others. There's no shame in wanting to take a medical leave to mentally recover from this. I don't want to lose a good officer. If you take this up, I just want you to answer a simple question - not for me, but for your own sake: are you ready to do this? Again, there's not shame in saying no."
The Chief's point made complete sense to Nick. He was indeed feeling awful, and he knew it was part of his job description to sometimes resort to lethal force against dangerous criminals. Maybe he should take a few days off...
Then suddenly something clicked inside. Judy would still be put on the case. If he went on leave right now, she would have to potentially go out into the field alone, with no support, and he wouldn't be able to help her. He had to do this - for Judy.
He sighed.
"I'll do it."
The buffalo merely nodded, before continuing, this time producing a folder from his desk.
"Your assignment is simple for now. The investigators have linked the attack with a gang that's been around for quite some time. They call themselves "The Wild", but they've been largely out of the spotlight for most of their existence, so we don't know much about them. A lot of their dealings are tough to track, but hopefully we could figure something out now that they've made such a huge statement with the attack on City Hall. Whether this was a one-off incident or they're planning something big is unknown. For now, our team can handle things, so the two of you are getting the day off tomorrow. When you're back though, I want you to go through previous cases and evidence to find any links we may have from the past. Once we find some leads, the two of you will be sent out into the field to investigate further. Understood?"
Nick and Judy both nodded in unison.
"Good. Dismissed."