I think you’ve covered this very well. One thing I would add is a nod to the major difference between a modern well trained soldier or police officer and the people they have to deal with. As a soldier you had to train your mind to stay in analytical mode under tremendous pressure. Soldiers can not afford to suddenly go into survival fight/flee mode. You have to stay focused.
At the first stop the driver of the van, who had previously vowed he would not go to jail, went into survival mode - he fled. When his flight was suddenly cut off he panicked, jumped from his van without waiting for instructions. He looks to me to still be in flight or fight mode. He is not capable of considering his odds in a possible future court case. It’s flee or fight/fight or flee. Once it is clear that all avenues of flight are cut off he becomes his most dangerous. Meanwhile, all the well trained officers, who have been briefed on this man and his prior statements, are braced for that instant when his survival instinct will turn to fight only. They didn’t desire it, but they expected it. They have to.
They had every reason to interpret his movement of his hand within centimeters of his gun as an attempt to fight.
It wasn’t a “van”. It was a pickup with a shell.
There was no gun on LaVoy’s left side - visible or otherwise.
I completely agree with your assessment of the situation at the first stop.
You're aware, of course, that both women that were in the truck have alleged that the truck was fired upon at the first stop.
So going into survival mode makes sense.
Of course, at least one of the women also alleged that they had a video camera (which I presume was running) in the truck with them.
How whacky is that! Only paranoid people would think like that.