This James Barker, the man who wielded a snow shovel against an officer, what do I think of his being fatally shot? I watched the video. Couldn't tell if the killing was justified. Couldn't even tell if the video camera came loose before the shovel connected. Do not know what the officer's thought process was.
But, I do think officers should be trained to make split-second decisions in such situations, deciding whether to shoot at center body mass, or to shoot to maim. Don't think the training should always call for them to shoot for center body mass. That would be training them not to make the split-second decision between life and death. I think of ourselves, and how we are often able to make split-second decisions. Yes, I think it is not only possible, but necessary to make quick decisions, as life is too sacred to kill a person if it is not necessary. Train them on when to shoot center body mass, when not to shoot center body mass, and when to not shoot at all. Train them on what to do and when to do it, and the odds of them making the right decision are better.
If you train them to always default to shoot-to-kill, or to always shoot at center body mass, you are not training them to save lives whenever possible. And, yes, that should be part of the training.
In this case -- in the case of James Barker -- the officer might have been justified. I don't know. I do know his training probably came into play and imagine he had been taught to shoot to kill or to shoot at the center body mass. Even supposing he might have made the wrong decision, then, if there is fault, I am not sure it is his, but rather the fault lies in the training.
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