But the issue is that there are no facts to back up the claim that he tried to shoot the man. It is still just the cops stating it. Now it's possible that he tried to shoot him, but it is also possible that he didn't. Given the "innocent until proven guilty" and the fact that no facts were submitted in the article to show he tried to shoot the man, one cannot say that what he did was wrong. The "supposed" action would be wrong, but then again look at all of the false charges that cops throw at people. Feel free to use the charges against the woman taping the cops from her yard or the sudden charges in the Philly OC incident as to recent examples.
Without more information we simply can't say what really happened, but at the same time given what has been released and the actions of cops across the country it is reasonable to say that potentially nothing illegal was done.
I am reacting to the fact that some here think it is OK to chase after the suspect and shoot him (or attempt to shoot him) after the threat has ended, not to whether or not he actually tried to shoot, nor to whether or not it could be proved in court.
However, I do have to say something about the picking and choosing of the portions of news stories that will be accepted without question and the portions that will be dismissed. As the story stands now, the man who "helped" the lady was reportedly trying to shoot the perp, but no round was chambered. If he denies that accusation, then the story is different. I am reacting to what has been reported, and commenting on that.
Please note that I have not passed judgment on the man's actual actions. I am passing judgment on the reported actions. I will say it again: Chasing after the bad guy and shooting at him, regardless of the level of success of the trigger-pulling, is immoral. It likely is illegal. That an action is hard to prove to have happened does not change the illegality of the action, just its prosecutability. My comment was reserved to the morality and likely illegality of the reported action, not the truth of the report or the prosecutability of the action.