What Does The Law Say About The Use Of Deadly Force Or Police Shootings?
There has been an increase in the incidences of police shootings all over the world, which have been regarded as justified. Police shootings can be equated to the use of deadly force by the police officers. Police shootings or rather the police use of deadly force can be defined and described as the force used by an officer who in this case has the knowledge or reasonably knows the substantial risk of causing death or great bodily harm through shooting. It is additionally described as the discharge of a firearm in the direction of another person or at a vehicle in use by a suspect. What does the law say about the use of deadly force or police shootings (Howell 48)? An argument based on the circumstances is built to review whether the justifications
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Questions arise as to who is to determine that there exists a probable cause to initiate a shooting. A police officer may misuse the privilege of determining a reasonable cause to necessitate an imitated shootout. Police officers hide behind probable cause to defend malicious, ignorant and careless shooting. Additionally, the justice system may find that a probable cause used as a defense by the police officer was not sufficient to initiate a shooting. It thus leads to the loss to the victim as the impact caused by the “weak malicious probable cause” cited by the police officer cannot be …show more content…
If a police officer sees a suspect is escaping and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect is a threat to the peace and order of other people and if he is allowed to escape, he may cause mayhem, death or injuries to other members of the public, the officer is justified to shoot the suspect.
Also, the police officer is justified to shoot a suspect in the event of a resistance of arrest. A volatile suspect whose criminal acts are a magnitude to cause breach of peace and order to the members of the public through causing injury or death can be shot if he is resisting arrest at the time of apprehension by the police officer. In that case the police shooting is justifiable and the officer will not be found criminally culpable for the
Questions arise as to who is to determine that there exists a probable cause to initiate a shooting. A police officer may misuse the privilege of determining a reasonable cause to necessitate an imitated shootout. Police officers hide behind probable cause to defend malicious, ignorant and careless shooting. Additionally, the justice system may find that a probable cause used as a defense by the police officer was not sufficient to initiate a shooting. It thus leads to the loss to the victim as the impact caused by the “weak malicious probable cause” cited by the police officer cannot be …show more content…
If a police officer sees a suspect is escaping and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect is a threat to the peace and order of other people and if he is allowed to escape, he may cause mayhem, death or injuries to other members of the public, the officer is justified to shoot the suspect.
Also, the police officer is justified to shoot a suspect in the event of a resistance of arrest. A volatile suspect whose criminal acts are a magnitude to cause breach of peace and order to the members of the public through causing injury or death can be shot if he is resisting arrest at the time of apprehension by the police officer. In that case the police shooting is justifiable and the officer will not be found criminally culpable for the