[Joe 6-pack]

"Because the 2 officers will separate to be on different sides of a threat."

If that's the case, the officer was shooting at his partner who was being attacked.

[xzins]

No. The back of the head isn’t always execution style. There’s a front of a head and a back of a head in the same way there’s a front of a car and a back of a car.

My car getting hit in the back could mean the back fender instead of the back bumper. That’s still the back.

And if the dog is flanked by the two officers and it’s hit in the back of the head neither officer is in the line of fire.