- Feb 17, 2011
- 14,024
A driver that rams into a car because they think that driver is blocking their path is probably dumb enough to keep their foot on the gas when an officer shows up. It's easy to imagine a situation in which the car was continuing to present a threat, so the officer quickly smacks the window out with the gun(because they may not have had the luxury of time to reach for another object but the gun was already in his hands), to pop the door from the inside, and drag the driver out/whatever the situation required.
The discharge may have been an oopsie, but it doesn't mean the officer's action are criminal. Given the situation, the officer's actions could be EASY to justify.
Yes but the discharge is still negligent. This time he hit the perp "on accident". What if next time its a bystander, or if the round goes off into the air and its some kid riding his bike 1 block a way when the bullet lands. I understand the stress of the situation, but the officer also has to be responsible for his actions regardless of outcome.