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On January 18, 2016, in Mesa, Arizona police responded to a call at a Laquinta Inn & Suites. There were reports of a rifle being pointed out of a hotel window. When police arrived at the scene, they ordered the suspected perpetrators to exit the hotel room. Only two people were in the room at the time, Daniel Shaver and an acquaintance of his. Daniel Shaver ended up being killed by the police. He was shot 5 times with an AR-15. He was being commanded to crawl towards police when he appeared to make a sudden movement with his right hand... Click here
The officer that pulled the trigger, Philip Brailsford, was charged with second-degree murder but later acquitted. Apparently, police responded with heavy artillery because there was a report of a rifle being pointed out of Shaver's hotel window. The rifle was later identified as a pellet gun. Officer Brailsford explained his actions by saying he believed Shaver was trying to gain a better position to fire on him though Shaver was obeying their commands to come towards them. It's unclear why the police didn't apprehend Mr. Shaver where he was initially as opposed to ordering him to crawl in their direction. The widow of Mr. Shaver subsequently received an 8-million-dollar judgment after filing a wrongful death lawsuit. If the sole determination of whether an officer's life is in danger is based on his/her feelings alone, it could become a slippery slope. For more information on how the Department of Justice authorizes the use of deadly force... Click here
If laws have indeed been established for our safety, it would be practical to expect those that enforce the laws to abide by them. An armed, highly-trained individual educated in law and who enforces the law on a daily basis typically has more advantages in tense situation than does the average Joe. Unfortunately, police can often escalate situations by shouting and pulling guns on citizens, exerting a sense of authority instead of an attitude of service.