I have heard it said that cops should be held to a higher moral standard than the rest of the population. Shooting a suspect out of fear however, is NOT an issue of morality. Even in a situation where a cop makes a mistake and is too quick on the trigger, it is unfair to call that a murder. It is a mistake, which is not much different than a surgeon making a mistake that leads to a patient dying. Unfortunately it happens, but to attach a moral component to that mistake is wrong. To call it murder is inherently wrong. If a surgeon operates on enough people, he WILL encounter a situation where an error leads to death, it is a numbers game. By the same token, if you take enough encounters where police are dealing with a suspect that is resisting arrest ( of which there are tens of thousands yearly), there WILL be errors that lead to death. This is wholly predictable. For that reason, it is a BAD idea to resist arrest. If you mess with enough bulls, someone is going to eventually get the horns. People speak of the need to bring cops to justice, but I am not sure that justice in a situation where a cop legitimately makes a mistake would entail having them spend time in prison, unless some level of malice were involved. They are mistakes. Tragic mistakes I will grant you that, but mistakes nonetheless. The proper punishment for a mistaken cop shooting should be the same as the punishment for a surgeon error that leads to death. A civil case and potential disbarment from practicing ones profession is what is in order, NOT a prison sentence.
