"clear his name?"
the cam in his black and white nails him - and the fact that this man was well known in the area as a wood carver = in a long line wood carving artists.
He had a small carving knife carving on a piece of wood.
the 'officer' assumes he's a danger????
He runs up in back of him and yells to drop the knife - the man was all but deaf and likely didn't hear him, but after a bit, senses something going on behind him, starts to turn around - but is immediately shot dead...
He drops dead on the sidewalk, next to the little knife that he had closed.
What was his crime?
Where was he at fault?
What POSSIBLE excuse does this 'officer' have?
NONE. The cops that got to the scene immediately tried to cover for him. That fell apart. The community was furious.
This is a VERY QUICK settlement. In other words, they knew they'd be hung in court and pay a lot more.
The politicians and bureaucrats approve and laud his actions. It is part of building the Soviet State. It is called The Terror. We are new at it and it is hit or miss in its application. Perhaps we should make a concerted study of the methods Le Directoire (1790s France) or bring in advisors from the old KGB to perfect and proliferate the technique.