How do we know this pscychotic/alcoholic/off-his-meds guy didn’t lunge at the cops? All we have here is one post from a sympathetic FReeper. In situations like this, I give the cops the benefit of the doubt. Some people give crazy alcoholics the benefit of the doubt. So be it.
The thing is, we have no information. I agree with you on that.
I don’t automatically assume a good shoot. You know as well as me that that you put together a group of people as big as the number of cops in the United States it is a crap shoot.
Good cops, bad cops, brave cops, fat cops, honest cops corrupt cops. Many cops have been all of these things in the course of a 20 year career.
I will not assume the side of the State. The State has far to much power and cops have too much personal immunity from criminal prosecution. Cops have again and again been trigger happy. They are trigger happy because they are shielded from criminal prosecution. So no, I will not automatically take the side of the State. That does not mean I support the right of bipolar alcoholics to gun down cops or anybody else. How come de-escalation is not a priority? Instead cops seem to wheel up, jump out, scream conflicting commands and open fire! But that’s because I am a small government conservative. (This is not our first tangle on this issue and won’t be our last).