After reading the stepson's account , it's not looking good for the shooter.
The stepson's about tells us absolutely nothing.
Did you read the SCOTUS ruling cited above? This, in particular?
"The Fourth Amendment "reasonableness" inquiry is whether
"the officers' actions are "objectively reasonable" in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without regard to their underlying intent or motivation.
The "reasonableness" of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene,
"and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation."
(Emphasis added)
Now, that all has to do with
qualified immunity in a case involving law enforcement officers acting in, or purporting to act in, the line of duty--and the extent to which it might be relevant in this case has not been discussed.
But--if we focus on whether the officer had simply used force lawfully in
defending himself, rather than in
effecting search and seizure, the same things would apply, if one were to delete the bit about intent or motivation.
It is what would apply if
you were to shoot someone who is holding a weapon and you think your life was in danger.
It is what would apply if
you were to shoot someone who had
seemed to you tor reach for a gun that you did not see.
It is the way things are.
Of course, unlike the sworn officer in Aurora, you would not have been duty bound to intervene in the first place, and the reason your entry into the situation would be very relevant.
I'm just tired of seeing the good guys getting shot by the good guys.
Okay. It happened. What would you do now?
And if it would help you, I can start putting IMO in front of my statements.
There are informed opinions, and then there are opinions that do not reflect basic understanding.
As Frank put it, "to police responding to a violent, tumultuous, rapidly unfolding event if you look like a threat you will be reasonably identified as a threat and dealt with accordingly. And in the real world it won't, and really can't, be otherwise."
That's the way it is.
And just about the same thing would apply if you were to check out a noise in your attached garage and find a man with a gun in the garage. Wouldn't matter if he were a very fine upstanding citizen who had thought he was coming in to save
you. Would you shoot , or not?