Unfortunately, human minds don’t work like video recorders.
The shooter was probably already pumped up with anger while arguing with the woman in the car.
After the boyfriend shoved him to the ground the adrenaline was really pumping and his fight or flight instinct said, “fight your life is in danger.”
Very few people are going to be able to calmly and coolly judge ‘Oh, he just backed up a half step’ after having been shoved backward three feet on his butt by a guy that has 80 pounds and 30 years on him
Oh, and just think that big guy could have been on top of him doing the Trevon slam in about 8/10ths of a second.
“Unfortunately, human minds don’t work like video recorders.”
Yep. One of the reasons the cops were resisting having cameras all the time. Slow it down frame by frame (what is that 0.1 seconds or less?). “Now the jury will clearly see that in frame 1059, the deceased is tilting his back backwards, and in frame 1061 is foot is moving backwards. Having taken two steps back and frame 1102(!!) only then is the gun fired.”
That said - I look at the video and don’t see a justified shoot (at least in Washington state). Just pointing the gun at the guy got him to back off. But the “reasonable doubt” would still be there - what was going through the mind of the shooter. (I was seeing double after getting slammed to the ground, it looked like he was reaching for a gun, it all happened so fast, etc.) Although I was surprised at how long the shooter took to line the guy up in his sights and then fire. Most shooting videos it happens so quickly I can’t tell what is going on until the fourth time watching it in slo-mo.
There were plenty of witnesses around, and most of them looked over there and knew something was going on, so it will be interesting to hear what they heard. (Or think that they heard!)
The guy in the past has threatened to shoot people before during a verbal argument. If he yelled that at the woman in the car, the guy will have a harder time in his defense - at least in Washington state where I live.
And that is why he walks. The attacker appears to have backed up a half step but he could just have easily been in the processes of circling and continuing the attack from a different angle.
Police shootings are frequently exonerated based on the 21 foot rule. The fact the attacker did not have a weapon is irrelevant as he had already committed a serious potentially deadly violent assault. The attacker could have turned and ran the second he saw the gun but he did not. He was still capable of killing the guy on the ground very easily.
Outside of an ignorant jury this case is a slam dunk for the defense. I would even go as far as to say the charges may be dropped before this ever goes to trial.
This is being prosecuted for political reasons. The DA knows they have little chance of convicting this guy.
Could have been, should have been, might be. My comments regarding the shooting incident have been strictly based on the best evidence available to me, which is the video.
For example the assault suspect was clearly backing away when he took a fatal round to the chest. Based on the video, it's indisputable.
And most people would react the same way the dead guy did in a parking lot shoving altercation. Gun suddenly pulled on you? Most would back up now. Even most bad guys are not going to continue to advance on the person who just pulled a gun on them.
Question, if the shooter is so easily pumped up while carrying a gun and playing parking lot traffic cop, that would be his issue wouldn't it? He went looking for it. No?
Too bad they didn't take his cwp before he killed someone. In my opinion. Speculating: I wonder if the shooter made a habit of playing cop while armed? Could it be he hoping doing so might facilitate some action?
And is it not true we somewhat known how his, "Human mind" works, when he clearly goes out of his way to play armed traffic enforcer?