Did the cop know it was just a crucifix or was that found out *after* the shoot?
Show me where, in the job requirements, that cops must be psychic and omniscient, please.
We could reduce these suspicious shoots if the cops were forced to wear body cams 24/7. No dash cam or body cam in this case, so we have to go by the cops’ word. Note the cop was new and had never fired his gin before in the line of duty.
Yes, but did the grandfather actually fire the Crucifix at them?
An old, obviously confused guy wandering around, brandishing a crucifix - and you are defending the rookie cop emptying his gun into him?
The family who lost an elderly loved one to the aforementioned rationale will be horrified that this shooting was justifiable merely because it was in keeping with current policies. Government will say, "At least the officers will go home to their families."
Yes, I know police are targets today as never before. I grew up in a police family and am personally shocked by everything that is going on. But the real bottom line here is that society is beginning to demand, in all areas, that government not be above the law that is demanded from the average person. If the average guy on the street shot an old man taking a cross out of his pocket they would be going to jail.
It seems you’re the one expecting omniscience and psychic powers in cops. In your world, an old man can be shot simply for carrying an unidentified object in his hand while walking in the dark — because the shooter “just knows” it can’t be anything but a gun, and “knows” also that the victim has bad intent and must be taken down.