[Wolfie]

...I don't know exactly when the paradigm changed from getting out of the way to opening fire.

I suspect the first time that reasoning was accepted is when it became SOP. In my hometown, we had some cops get off the hook with that one even when it was shown that the driver couldn't possibly have been coming at the police, what with the car being in a one lane tunnel, and the victim being shot in the back. (And no, the car wasn't in reverse).

[car par]

Maybe they had a reason to shoot him.