Nicholas Hans Killinger, 23, of Malibu died an hour after three Los Angeles police officers, "fearing for their lives," fired into the back window of his Ford Tempo, said Lt. Art Miller.
The standard for deadly threat that merits deadly force sure seems a lot different for these cops than for the rest of us.
A car rolling under it's own power has enough force to kill a child or put an adolescent into critical care, if they live. A car under low power, 5-15 mph, has enough force to completely crush the pelvis, fibia, or the tib/fibs in the lower legs. If the officers were kneeling or on the ground at the time, the car could crush them - drive ribs into the lungs, pericardium, and I've even seen an aortic tear from a low speed crush. If the car at low speed trapped and pressed the cops into another solid object, like another parked car, they could very easily receive a compression asphyxia injury which kills many during transport.
The essential point it that I have had to try to save these guys lives when I worked as a paramedic and now see them roll into my trauma ER. People like you don't comprehend just how much danger is involved in a scene described by this article and how many cops are killed or permanently injured due to 'they don't have to shoot' ordinances that kill cops but make the lefties feel good that cops won't be able to shoot the bad guys.
You know, I hate police abuse an brutality as much as the next guy. The LAPD really makes some questionable calls sometimes. I know, I live here.
But, then I scolled back up to this.
"Killinger, armed with a knife, is suspected of tying up the gas station attendant and stealing $180 from the register, authorities said. Killinger was convicted in 2003 for assault with a deadly weapon, court records show. "
And then, I stop and think. What did the LAPD do? They took a dangerous many off the street and save the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars to deal with this individual.
As much as I hate to admit it ... some people just get what that deserve.
When they are wrong, I call them on it ... but I just can't get upset at the LAPD for this one. Soceity was protected and served here.