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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   33203 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of January 5, 2026

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From the videos, it seems implausible that the officer would have died if he had not shot her, though. It seems like the appropriate response is just to send her plates to the cops and arrest her for fleeing/reckless.

From the videos, it seems implausible that the officer would have died if he had not shot her, though.

That may be, but from the officer's perspective, making a decision in about a quarter of a second, it may have reasonably seemed as though this woman posed a grave danger to him; to his fellow officers; and/or to the public at large.

It seems like the appropriate response is just to send her plates to the cops and arrest her for fleeing/reckless.

I would say it depends on the officer's assessment of the level of danger she posed.

But we have the ability to assess the officer's assessment. In my view, something is going quite wrong if the officer assesses a currently unmoving car that he is standing not centered in front of as a potentially fatal threat.

something is going quite wrong if the officer assesses a currently unmoving car that he is standing not centered in front of as a potentially fatal threat.

Are you saying that he opened fire before the car started moving?

No, I am saying that has was positioned such that in the event the car did start moving, he could have easily moved out of the way, as indeed he did.

No, I am saying that has was positioned such that in the event the car did start moving, he could have easily moved out of the way, as indeed he did.

So you are saying that after the car started moving the officer knew that he could easily get out of the way?

I would say "should have known" rather than "knew", but yes because of initial starting positions.

I would say "should have known" rather than "knew", but yes because of initial starting positions.

Ok, so if I understand you correctly, your position is as follows:

But we have the ability to assess the officer's assessment. In my view, something is going quite wrong if the officer sees a car a few feet ahead of him, with a driver who is known to be hostile and intent on evading apprehension, sees the car start moving towards him, and is not instantly able to determine with confidence that the car does not pose a serious threat -- regardless of how the driver will decide to steer the car.

Does that pretty much sum up your position?

I would quibble with what I see as some excessively loaded language. "Hostile" is very vague and very loaded. I would replace "intent on evading arrest" with "seeking to evade arrest". (Again, "intent" is far too vague - are they so intent they are willing to kill someone?)

As far as "instantly" goes, I think the converse is that a well-justified shooting would require him to instantly judge that shooting would eliminate threat.

But yes my position is that the guy could have easily dodged the car even if the driver had intended harm and thus was not fatally threatened.

The actual outcome of the officer not being hurt would seem to support both of our positions: that no real danger ever actually existed or that the shooting prevented the danger from harming the officer.

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