There really doesn’t seem to be much question that the cop did everything he could to avoid hitting the little girl, that he did everything he could to defuse the father who attacked him, and that he finally shot him in pure self defense.
The headline is disgusting.
FWIW, In the riding classes I have taken, “I had to lay it down” is rider-speak for “I panicked”. Evasive maneuvers are all about NOT laying the bike down.