Derec, Loren, and all who sail in them
I will ask again.
I would assume most people had seen enough of what was going on to realize it wasn't real. The cop walking into the situation doesn't have the advantage of seeing it develop.
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I don't really fault the people who called the police. If he had been in the store with a real gun I'd appreciate someone calling the police. I do fault the police officer for not being sure that it was a real gun before using lethal force. Unless it can be shown that he turned and pointed the BB gun directly at the police officer as if to fire upon him, due diligence in protecting the innocent was not taken in this case. All the other details are simply distractions.
The cops normally fire when someone with a gun turns quickly towards them. By the time the gun is bearing it's too late.