Can I shoot a police officer in self-defense? What if a police officer mistakenly believes that I am a threat, but I actually am not, and is now prepared to kill me?
Per the question title, Such a thing has actually happened a few times in the US. It's such an incredibly rare set of circumstances that it is quite literally a case where the exception proves the rule. Per the edit and question details, not so much. First off, you need to survive the encounter. That's difficult enough from the get go, and if you don't the question is moot. Second, you will almost certainly be charged, regardless of the circumstances of the case. Even if a cop is murdering school children sandy hook style, and I kill him in the middle of it, I would expect to be charged with capital murder, and to face the full resources of the state to try and convict me and sentence me to death.That's the practical reality of the matter.Legally, a few states define in statute very limited situations where deadly force can be used to stop law enforcement. Again, such situations are VERY slim, and generally only arise after the officer is question has clearly and obviously broken many laws. You question details don't fit the mold there. If an officer views you as a threat, for objectively legitimate reasons, you attempting to defend yourself with deadly force would do little more than convince him (and a jury) that his view was correct. As such, Tim's answer is correct. If you are for some reason being viewed as a threat by law enforcement, quit doing things that can be viewed that way. Now, in spite of this, bad things happen. The man killed by the London metropolitan police is a perfect example of a police overreaction that resulted in what can only be called state sponsored manslaughter. Had this taken place in the US, AND had, for example, the cops just opened fire with no surrender demand and missed a bunch, AND he had a firearm and used it to defend himself, AND had not been killed in the process, AND he had merely been standing around and doing absolutely nothing that could be considered threatening, then he MIGHT have been able to to mount a defense on the basis of self-defense. He would want a very good lawyer. That's a lot of qualifiers, obviously, to the question and the situation. The most recent case that I'm aware of where this sort of thing happened for real was a wrong-house no-knock raid where the homeowner shot one of the police officers. iirc, the police weren't in the house that was on the warrant, meaning that their entry was objectively illegal. That homeowner was (somewhat to my amazement) actually not charged.
What do you think of this police shooting?
I saw the video before......it was Ludicrous........he was clearly confusing the guy, by giving contradictory orders , all while telling the guy, he'll shoot if he gets any one of them wrong. It was like he was playing Simon Sez, with the guy, On your Knees! On your Belly! Put your hands UP, put your hands in front of you, cross your legs, stand up, kneel down, walk on your knees towards me , with your legs crossed!!!!!!!!!!!! He gave like 15 contradictory instructions.....and the guy was clearly TRYING to comply......begging, "Don't SHOOT!!! DON'T SHOOT".....and the second he got one of the 15 orders wrong, the cop just fills him full of lead. it was insane. He had the guy at gunpoint........all he had to do was tell him to lay flat, and cuff him. .....instead of putting the stupid slob thru calistenics. The guy was practically in tears before the cop blasted him. I too, often DEFEND the cops in many of these situations......it's a tough job.......but in this case.........this was clearly cold blooded MURDER. There was no excuse for this. and there was no reason to fire that many times. It was piss poor police work and non-existent training, clearly.
Was the police officer correct in shooting Daniel Shaver?
Even after my 10 years as a cop in very bad big city neighborhoods, I cannot understand why the officer acted as he did. As others have posted, it almost seemed like he wanted to shoot somebody and was just looking for any excuse to do so. I completely disagree with the jury's findings, and would have gladly convicted the officer of 2nd degree murder. There was no real excuse for what he did. I’ve disarmed suspects in the past and never fired a shot. The way the officer handled the situation even before he fired, was absurd and counter productive. Well unless he really was trying to escalate the situation to give himself a (barely) credible reason to shoot the guy FIVE times.If the shoe were on the other foot, and this shooting had been by an armed citizen claiming self defense, I can pretty much guarantee that same jury would have convicted the shooter.
How do the police feel when they shoot a wrong guy?
How would you feel? Are you a decent, empathetic human being? How would finding out that you’d killed someone unnecessarily, not because you wanted to, but because you made a mistake, make you feel?Do you assume cops are incapable of feeling the same way?A lot of cops have a hard time living with having shot someone even if it was completely justified. A large percentage leave the profession altogether, particularly if the shooting occurred early in their career.How do you think finding out that he’d shot the wrong man would make them feel?
Do police ever make mistakes in shooting certain people?
Of course they do. I mean, when a SWAT team bursts into the wrong persons house and shoots them, which happens depressingly frequently, no-one is going to argue that’s not a mistake.Where you get into arguments about the semantics of “mistake” is when police officers shoot someone who turns out not to have been a threat. Those cases happen far more frequently that the case where they “get the wrong guy”. They get “the right guy” but it turns out the “right guy” was just itching his balls, or carrying a toy around a toy store, or whatever.Are those mistakes? I would say so. Or at least they’re suboptimal outcomes. I mean, its not a good thing that the police shoot someone who wasn’t a threat, or even committing a crime, is it?
Can I kill a police officer who is trying to kill me? If the police start shooting at me & I wasn't doing anything wrong, can I draw a sidearm & shoot the police back in defense? Otherwise, how would I avoid dying if they are already shooting?
Your best chance to survive involves not drawing a weapon, laying prone in the grass facing the ground. It doesn't matter if you were in the right if you are dead, except possibly to the community and to the cop who will shortly be unemployed and facing charges. Unless you are in an open-carry state, that sidearm is your enemy in any confrontation with the police,it gave them reason to suspect you and to fear you and in the end to kill you if you didn't comply immediately with their order (it is really bad if you have hearing issues or are deaf!). The simple fact is the police are assumed to have responded to you if any cartridges are spent from your sidearm, whether they came first or second, and they are more likely to hit you than you them, and if you do hit an officer, your chances of survival are next to none. Keep your arms way out to the side, far away from your weapon . Your odds are even worse if you live in a bad neighborhood and carry a piece for protection, somewhat hidden from view. Don't stand there screaming don't shoot! Flatten out now! Sort it out later. At least you stand a chance of surviving by compliance. I was once working on a building that got raided by armed officers, and I am convinced that hitting the deck was the correct thing to do then, as I was able to later prove my incidental presence to the officers' satisfaction.
Why are Black people so racist against police officers?
A few police officers may have done something wrong, and Black people believe that shooting any random police officer is justify. Why do Black people accuse others of racism, when have to look in a mirror and know they are the real racists. Just because you experience racism from a person who happens to be from another race/group/occupation, doesn't mean it right to persecute all people from that race/group/occupation. Being a victim of racism is no different than being a victim of any other crime. If someone is a victim of a robbery, it doesn't mean that person has the right to shoot all people who are the same race as the robbers.
Why do Police officers get away with killing innocent people?
Use of force is a complicated business. I think the reason to you believe your question is because the media leads you to believe it. Other than watching the news, have you ever done anything to expand your knowledge of this subject? Many police departments and Sheriff's offices offer citizens academies which have use of force scenarios. They are a real eye opener for many. If you are really interested in the subject, check out Force Science. It provides real science on use of force vs. some media person giving you a fraction of the truth. Putting small holes in people is actually a very ineffective way to stop an immediate threat. Threats are stopped by hydraulic failure (bleeding out) or central nervous system shut down. Option one can require a significant amount of time, up to 10 minutes. The second option require hitting very small targets which is difficult under pressure and with movement. I have seen cases where a man was shot 11 times and still managed to kill a couple federal agents. It is not like on TV. Once lethal force is justified the amount of bullets is irrelevant. Accidental shootings are extremely rare given the amount of daily police contacts. Shooting a "non-minority" just isn't exciting enough to make money for the news networks. I am always fascinated by what people fear. You are a million times more likely to die in a car crash, yet no one fears driving.