I think the decision to focus on this particular shooting is intentional because it probably was actually an accident. Cops are trained military style to draw and shoot quickly. She also only fired once I think if she knew she was going to shoot him dead she would have unloaded like cops always do. She also resigned which most cops that intentionally murder people don’t do.

So basically, yeah, probably a legitimate accident, but the fact that accidents are outliers in police shootings lately should be telling. The protests need to keep going on, just because it was an accident doesn’t bring back the dead and cops shouldn’t be allowed to be in situations where they can kill people either accidentally or intentionally.

The problem is that as the debate shifts from “how the fuck was she even allowed to be in a situation where she could accidentally kill someone” to “was it an accident or not” we shift from systemic critique of the police (that is valid no matter the answer to the other question) to a narrative of personal responsibility that focuses on this individual cop. The fact that this one could legitimately have been an accident makes that transition easier.

Well the bodycam footage was released. This incident of him running and her shooting him all happens in under 3 seconds. Live action in a high pressure situation, all those differences you noted between the gun and taser would not be noticed. She was screaming for the other officer to tase him, then she pulled out her gun and instantly shot him. It happened so damn fast. Her voice sounded genuinely shocked when it happened, that she had shot her gun instead of the taser. She literally screams “OH SHIT” the instant after it happens. Its not some fake ass cover story that she invented afterwards. Pigs shouldn’t carry lethal weapons, in a lot of countries they don’t.