“While attempting to take the man into custody, he did not comply with multiple commands to stop, and he physically resisted when troopers tried to remove him from the car,” a state police statement said.
“Troopers shot the man when he continued to drive in a manner that placed officers in imminent danger,” the statement continued.
Why kill him, though? Why even try to pull him out of the car? Cops have the perp cornered in his car, so why didn’t they let the air out of all four tires, and sit in the squad car eating doughnuts until he gets bored and gives up?
Cops killing someone should be a last resort, not a first choice. Standing in front of a car is a frequent precursor to cops killing the driver, and I’d suggest that shoplifting doesn’t warrant a death stance.
Especially in 2023. “Quick, we have to capture the shoplifter before they get away forever!” “Uh, we have 4k video of them stealing, their plates, and social media. It’ll take like 20 minutes to find them.”
Cops should never intentionally kill someone, even when fired upon the intention should be to subdue and ensure the safety of bystanders, not create a hail of bullets that often kills hostages etc.
If NATO peacekeeping troops can do it on the battlefield you should be able to do it against a single perp in the burbs.