Now you will have more officers hesitate to pull the trigger
This homicide falls in the category of reckless conduct and not a premeditated, intentional one. Don't think the death penalty will apply here and what I'm really getting at is don't be surprised if he gets a light sentence.I assume the ‘death penalty’ is off the table for the cop (but I don’t know that for sure). I guess he’ll try to appeal. But it’s going to be a helluva way to spend your 40th birthday in prison (and your 50th, and your....)!
Good!
I hope every officer hesitates to fire into a moving car. It is incredibly stupid and tactically unsound. Even if you execute a perfect insta-kill head shot, the car is still moving towards the person you thought you were protecting. You have accomplished nothing.
Then add in cops miss 80% of their shots and who knows what innocent person gets hit.
Well there have been several instances when officers have shot into moving vehicles with success.
IF there is an increase of cops being second guessed by defendants, attorneys, and judges to face time in prison, how many candidates will be applying for those open positions? Hesitation gets you or innocent people killed. If you are gonna wait on perfect tactics to be utilized, that to will lead to hesitation. Use of force situations are chaotic and fluid but I'm guessing you know that too. As society goes, so goes current policing trends.
I personally witnessed another driver drop dead behind the wheel of his van on Interstate 45 north of Houston. As he died, he tried to maneuver to the shoulder and slowed down. Then I guess he lost consciousness because the van, at a slow speed, smacked the right-side divider, then crossed the road, hit the center divider, crossed the road, hit the right-side divider and stuck to it, inching along scraping it.I have followed car shootings for years, and have never found one where killing the driver spontaneously resulted in a reflex action of stepping on the brakes, care to share?
So, to me, killing someone behind the wheel of a car is a hell of a risk. Sometimes you take a hell of a risk to get something done that has to be done. Sometimes you don't.
Sure, I can share. Your premise above is incorrect. So a successful shooting into a car must result in the driver stepping on the brake? In that case, all shootings into cars are unsuccessful. So there has never been a case where shooting into a car has been justified? I think that is the Q you should be asking. The answer is of course yes. If the officer legitimately believed his partner was gonna be run over, than I can fathom shooting into the car to shoot the driver. For every shooting you show me where officers miss, I can show you one where they didn't. Again, use of force situations are dynamic and chaotic. Very few people have the training or fortitude to do everything correctly in that situation.I have followed car shootings for years, and have never found one where killing the driver spontaneously resulted in a reflex action of stepping on the brakes, care to share? In all cases I know of the car keeps going forward.
That is life. As a LTC, if I shoot someone, I will be second guessed too. Did not stop me from getting LTC. In fact, it motivated me to see what shootings are deemed justified and which are not so I can plan a course of action.