The latter portion of your post concerning adrenaline is irrelevant as far as I am concerned; it stands to reason that the officer would have more self-control than the average citizen since he is trained to handle stressful encounters like this, and he is a Seasoned Officer, as you stated. He murder the individual, period.
Unfortunately, LEO's
are human beings, and as such are subject to all the emotions the rest of we mortals must deal with - each in our own unique way - and we must resolve those emotions in our own time, whatever that may be. Inasmuch as we "civilians" are not
generally under
significant duress, we can take whatever time we need to work through our problems. LEO's frequently must make decisions in
milliseconds that will determine who
walks away from an armed confrontation, and
who leaves in a body bag. Would you prefer that some "mad scientist" create
genetically modified humans specifically
designed to function as LEO's... and present us with something simlilar to
Robocop? I seriously doubt you would. The ability to make split-second decisions to engage or not engage, deploy the appropriate weapon, and neutralize (or not) the perceived threat based upon
pure logic - without an
ort of human compassion - would have the libtards rioting in the streets! When you are wearing a uniform - police or military - and sent out to do a job that
may require the use of deadly force,
most people will find themselves in "survival mode". This is
not an
excuse for (what we may see as) poor judgment calls, but rather an explanation of the human condition. I would imagine that Todd Blair was in that mode "survival mode" when he was awakened from his sleep by the sound of his door being breached, and several people shouting loudly (I
undoubtedly would be). At that time we function not so much on rational thought (we hear
words, but they may be indistinguishable in our not-quite-awake condition), instead we instinctively go into survival mode. The police should know and understand this, and be prepared to use the
minimum force necessary to control and subdue the subject. If Blair had exited his bedroom with a shotgun, rifle, or handgun he
should have been the "second place winner" in the ensuing confrontation. The police were also in "survival mode", but fully awake, alert and acutely aware of the possibility of a confrontation since they had not been invited into the home by the occupant. However, Blair was at a severe disadvantage. Would I have reacted in the same manner as Blair? No. I would have grabbed my Glock from the night table and taken the best available cover in my bedroom, been at the ready (whatever "ready" I was
capable of arousing), tried to compose my senses, and waited for an entry. What happened
next would have been dependent upon the type of entry.
The JNTF was dispatched to Blair's residence to
do their job. I do not have access to
how they were instructed to actually execute their warrant, so I cannot comment further on that aspect. Was the phrase, "...consider the subject to be armed and dangerous..." used in any part of their briefing? I have no way of knowing. Do I think it was a "clean shoot"? Based
only upon what was reported -
and the video -
I think it was an
unnecessary shooting. If I were on a shooting review board, I would
not hold the officer
blameless... but, I
wouldn't recommend he be charged with
homicide either. Did the LEO demonstrate bad judgment? Yes, but
bad judgement is not a criminal offense. Inappropriate use of deadly force? Probably, but
mitigated by what the officer
perceived as a potentially deadly threat. I believe that an individual's
perception of a situation is the "truth of the matter" for that individual, especially when
his/her survival may depend upon a dissected second. Blair believed he was under attack. The police believed his response to their entry to be a threat. Criminal intent by
either party? No. A tragically avoidable ending? Definitely... any non-involved Monday Morning Quarterback can see that. Pax...