Berkeley (MO) officials: Man killed by police had pointed gun at officer

[branford]

46. Ah, I totally forgot the Myers discussions some time ago

where you erroneously professed, as you do now, that the officer's perfectly legal, department approved, often community encouraged, and very commonplace security work somehow changes the legal calculus concerning the encounter between the officer and Myers. You are certainly free to object to the practice of permitting outside work, but you've been repeatedly been advised of the actual law and practice in the vast majority of jurisdictions. In any event, the officer was in fact wearing his police uniform at the time of the encounter and retained (and was duty bound to exercise) all police powers. The security work was a non-issue in the shooting, despite your protestations to the contrary. You also severely misunderstand the relevant laws of self-defense.

Unless significant new facts emerge, neither of the officers in the Martin or Myers shootings will be criminally charged or even face internal discipline, nor should they. I also predict that neither the Martin nor Myers families will commence civil proceedings for wrongful death, and in the event that they choose to do so, they will either lose or be paid a tiny token sum rather by the towns just to avoid litigation costs.

There are more than ample examples of police malfeasance to justify appropriate department reforms, such as the Eric Garner case. However, if you chose to cite every altercation between a white officer and black youth as an example of police racism and violence, irrespective of the facts and evidence concerning the individual cases demonstrating that the police were almost certainly justified in their use of force, you do nothing but appear to be a blind ideologue and ultimately justify doubts by much the public about less clear instances when police employ violence.

Simply, if there is amble evidence that someone pulled a gun on a police officer during a lawful encounter, no less fired on them and/or demonstrated other violent and threatening tendencies, the clear majority of the public will not object to an officer's use of lethal force in their defense.