You are correct that being under life threatening stress can and usually does alter perceptions such as how quickly time passes, distance, speed of motion, presence and loudness of sounds, size and nature of objects, and other things. However, I am not aware of any such effect that causes a person to see a person perform gross motor movements such as taking several steps and raising a knife that would not also be visible to a camera. If that were the case, there is no shooting that could not be justified by this line of defense.texanjoker wrote:jmra wrote:For the sake of the officers, I hope they didn't make that statement because if they did their goose is cooked along with any credibility other "evidence" might have carried.E.Marquez wrote:With all due respect.... we do not know that.srothstein wrote: The officers statement said that the mentally ill man lunged at him and took four steps towards him, causing the officer to fear for his life and open fire. .
We know a media reporter, said that is what the officer said..
And knowing the historical accuracy of media sources, the bias they often have, and the very real fact that, they exist to entertain, and get your attention.. Not inform...
I have a hard time making statements on "fact" when the only facts we have are regurgitated and media fed ones.
That being said, the jury (criminal and/or civil) will see this video. Assuming the officers haven't made statements contrary to what is shown on the video, they are going to have to dish up some very compelling evidence to counteract the perception the video leaves with viewers. Hopefully (for all involved) there is other video and/or audio that tells more of the story.
The video is only one tool and it is one view but not necessarily what the officer remembers. Like all shootings, the shooters state of mind is crucial to show what they believed to be happening. For anybody that has been in this leo's shoes your memory is VERY distorted of what happened and it is hard to give a statement because you are not sure and usually remember certain portions of the critical incident. That is not lying, but a known reality.
If it is an issue where they indict this leo, we will see expert witnesses just like the GZ trial. One side will argue that the officer was in fear of his life, had normal psychological reactions to that threat like tunnel vision, time perception issues, loss of memory, ect, the suspect was making threatening statements while armed with a knife, stood up and that is when the officer saw the movement and thought the armed suspect was going to lunge (media word) at him, so he correctly fired to protect his life and the life of his partner. Then the other side will say the opposite of that, and that the officer lied, ect and it will be up to the jury to decide reasonable doubt.
As in all shootings I await the results of the factual investigation which takes time. Then I will form my opinion as to the shooting being a good or bad shoot.
Apparently the Dallas police chief isn't buying that explanation either since he immediately ordered the charges against the man who was shot dropped.