1. The cop had no idea that all this guy was PREVIOUSLY guilty of was missing child support payments. The cop did know the guy was guilty of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer with his own taser. Sounds like a dangerous individual to me.
2. The action of the cop drawing and firing stems immediately from the cop apparently being assaulted, tased, and freeing himself from his assailant’s reach. The cop is not aware whether or not the guy still has the taser and is able to trigger it again, potentially shocking and incapacitating him completely. The is no delay upon break contact for the cop pulling his weapon and firing. In fact, the cop is drawing when the guy in just a couple feet away. He fires the first shot when he is much closer than the last shot. The entire action of drawing and shooting is an immediate extension of a struggle in which the cop could have reasonable fear for his safety.
3. Have to ever been assaulted? It’s not like you have time to debate your options. The cop was in “fight mode,” responding to violence with violence. We can armchair quarterback how it should have been done, but unless you can say you’ve been tased by a criminal resisting arrest, you can’t pretend to be superior.
4. A lot of hoopla was made about the cop “planting evidence” on the guy. The extended video now shows that to be bullcrap. The cop was retrieving a dangerous weapon to a safe distance AND THEN later picks it back up and secures it on his person before anyone beyond the second cop arrives. So much for the planting evidence crap.
Well, our opinion is different. The jury will decide in the end.
Thanks for keeping it civil.