Obviously it is not OK for a police officer to shoot an innocent person. But let’s put some perspective on this case. The police got called out to the house by a neighbor who reported that the front door of the house was open. It was 2:30 in the morning. You could drive down 1000 neighborhoods at 2:30 this morning and not find one front door open, especially open for 25 minutes before the police arrived. Obviously, the police truly believed that a burglary was in progress. If the officer was caught by surprise, and saw a figure in the house holding a handgun, with the gun perhaps pointed towards the police officer, I can more fully understand this case from the officers perspective. Two things can be true: the deceased was blameless AND the officer is not a murderer.
The officer is now out of work.