Quote:
Originally Posted by will1530
It's not reasonable for a cop to think he is going to get hit in virtually all cases where the subject has hand to hand weapons. Literally every other modern police force has figured out ways to not kill crazy dudes with a knife/bat/pipe. US cops can't be bothered to get back in their car and wait for backup. They MUST control the situation immediately even if it means shooting the dude.
I think US culture is more combative generally than our European counterparts, and I think a lot of this plays into police attitudes about how they need to behave in response. I don't think Europe has the same degree of with violent crime as we do, and I do believe that Europe has a more tightly-woven social net / sense of community. In this sense, are victims of our (relatively) extreme individualism.
No, the cops should not shoot-on-sight anyone carrying a perceived weapon - but again, let's not play fast-and-loose with the facts of the narrative.
IF the guy was charging the cop with a pipe, the cop reasonably would have anticipated imminent harm.