[oats]

The amount of misinformation about what a cop is supposed to do in this thread is staggering. A cop's job is NOT to "eliminate the threat." It wasn't even clearly established that he was a threat yet. A cop is not paid to "react" to situations. They are supposed to take control of situations and serve and protect the community - this man was part of the community, they didn't do either of those for him.

Bags, I'm not saying they should be worried about what it will look like politically. I'm saying that the proximity of this situation was definitely on their mind, and they should be aware of what to do to de-escalate situations before shooting. THAT is their job. The shoot first shit is for video games not real life.

Think of it like this: if you're thinking "hmm that's what I would've done, I get it" then THAT is the problem. Cops are held to a higher standard than us, that's why we give them guns and leave them in charge of enforcing laws. They shouldn't be acting like a regular NCG.