So, a question for the LEOs ...
Would you want to know that the caller thought it was a kid with a toy gun or is "man with a gun" all you want or need to know?
I don't know the answer. I'm not a cop.
I think the more information the field guys have, the better off everyone is. It's not the dispatcher's job to discern what may or may not be relevant to the call...
The dispatcher can give that info without determining the facts... "Caller advised the gun may be a toy, but unable to further confirm."
That info/statement may have gone a long way in this case, but maybe wouldn't have prevented the shooting, because in the end, the kid ignored officers and went for the gun, toy or not.
Lotsa 'what if's' floating around.
