“He probably knew this area, and had a good idea of what might happen to someone who is “the wrong color” involved in something like this.”
He didn’t have many good options. I think he did the right thing in trying to save the kid’s life. But - at a cost to his own mobility in a heavy threat area at night. Not just the bike but also his ability to respond to the situation.
Fleeing only works if you have a place to flee too- me it was a public place where other people would see me. If I’m in a neighbourhood where I don’t think I can trust anyone at all, then that doesn’t give me the option to flee.
Breaking his leg, and shoulder blade cost him that option of retreat and at least getting out. That means that his number one priority has to be to contact his dispatch. That way, at least you know that help is on the way.
His first thought with the father should be - “how can I make sure that I get on the phone so that I can call the people who need to know so that I can get this situation straight?”
Telling the angry father - “Hey I’m a LEO, Obey”, is bad, bad, thinking on your feet. It made a bad situation worse. If, as you say, the cop was aware this was a bad neighbourhood, he’s making a couple assumptions here.
1, that these are the kind of people who would respond positively to “I’m an LEO”.
2, that he was in a situation of command and control when he had neither.
He was already ‘out of playbook’ after the accident and the problem is that he applied the playbook to an ‘out of playbook situation.’ He had to think quickly after the accident and realize that yes, “I’m in an out of playbook situation”, and how to take control of the situation in a fashion that will work.
He failed to do that and as a result the dad is dead.
"..Hey I’m a LEO, okay?"
Now, if he had told them to keep back as they shouted at him, and were advancing on him menacingly and he said "Hey I’m a LEO, Obey!" I could even forgive that.
After all, he was involved in an accident himself...so he might have been a bit shaky too, and not thinking as clear.