There was more to consider than being killed. What if the attempted escapees hijacked the vehicle with the children in it? The desperation displayed in their attempt to escape indicates exactly what type of people this uniformed officer was facing. The reckless disregard for the safety of the children and the officer by the adult females in the car pretty much tells the story. Until something indicates otherwise, I have to accept what has been presented as factual.
I remember when a daring daylight robber tried to get in my car ~ had my young son with me ~ guy was trying to open the door and banging on the windows as I backed out of the space spinning tires.
I didn't know if he had a weapon, but I figured a guy doing that probably had at least a knife.
We still need to see the videos and remember that the women's behavior was counseled against what they, themselves, believed they'd been doing. There's the as yet unsubstantiated claim by store security personnel that they tricked out the scam ~ which is why they called in a report to the cop.
What if they're wrong?