“Lethal” means ‘sufficient to cause death’.
You think a pistol is not a lethal weapon. I hope you can get some help.
Lethal force can be applied with a pistol or any number of other weapons or objects. Lethal force can even be applied with bare hands.
The point is that the police didn’t apply lethal force in this case.
I can’t figure out whether you are being stubborn or just too dunb to understand.