Your right agboy,, don't know exactly what the situation was with the Officer going out to the guy's house alone, long as he was there alone who cares if he shoots up his own house ?

The situation in the nursing home was different, the gunman was still shooting people, and you are right every report has consistantly stated the Officer was the Only Officer on duty that morning. (tough to call for backup when there isn't any..)  From experience if there was any Officers within any distance at all they would have responded.

ALL Departments are now training Officers to NOT wait for "swat" in specific instances where shooters are still actively shooting people.  Statistic's have shown time after time, when Officer's stand around forming a parimeter etc.. waiting for "SWAT" many more people are killed while waiting.  School, work shootings were studied pretty hard and that's where Law Enforcement has changed it's tactics..

Here,, locally,, most ALL the Cops carry some sort of long arm, M-16's, sniper rifles, etc.. in addition to their sidearm and shotguns. And, depending on the situation they are trained to NOT wait around.  Same in the counties around here.