[Alberta's Child]

The prosecutor may have "over-charged" in this case in order to make it easier for an acquittal. In an ideal scenario the cop gets fired, he doesn't go to prison, and the legal authorities have a ready-made defense against the professional malcontents:

"We charged him with first degree murder. What more could we possibly have done?"

[chris37]

Well, that is a valid point, but what if the cop is found guilty of 1st degree murder, and the conviction is upheld?

I don’t think I would have fired. But I don’t know. A person can close the gap real quick with a knife, and then you are in real trouble even with a gun.

And I have no idea how fast someone on PCP can move, or if such a person will even notice that they got shot.

This seems like a problematic shooting, but PCP kind changes it into a really volatile situation.

Did the cop who shot know the guy was on PCP?

I don’t know.

[DaveyB]

The prosecutor may have "over-charged" in this case

There is no forethought and malice that I can detect form the video. First degree is an overreach if there is not much more evidence.