I say it's the cop's call because it's his life. And in this case, he has serious combat experience and knows when things click and when they don't add up. To him, something didn't quite add up to the level of pulling the trigger. He literally saw things lesser experienced people would miss, and those things told him the guy was not the threat he ws pretending to be. And he was right - and it wasn't luck.
IMHO, this is the level of care that must be required of the police, precisely because they are not military, and we are not the enemy. And if it can't be achieved under current conditions, then we must change the conditions so that it can be achieved. The alternative is what we're seeing all around us - including machine gun mounted APCs. History is extremely consistent in showing where that leads.
Well said.
In spite of all the people who have far lower expectations for law enforcement.
YOU understand.
“And he was right - and it wasn’t luck.”
So you’re saying the cop KNEW the perp didn’t have a gun in his pocket. Or, you’re saying that even if the perp had a gun in his pocket, the cop KNEW the perp wouldn’t use it on him. Do I have that right?