Here's a novel concept.
Don't just jump to lethal force as a response to perceived danger.
I think the cops should have kept their distance and assessed the situation first and de-escalated.
Having said that, here's another novel concept:
A pair of brass knuckles or baseball bat is "danger", a potential gun is "death".
There's a difference between someone wanting to trade blows with you and a gun, btw. Let's hope you don't think guns are "danger" only and learn to see them as weapons that kill: easily.
I'm not defending the cops for shooting an unarmed man but at close range when someone has their hands in their pocket and whips them up at you in a shooting stance in the blink of an eye, there is no "pause" button in real life so you can stop, pan the camera around and zoom in to make sure you get a good look at what he's holding.
If you can make this explicit call in a split second with adrenaline pumping like mad then, by all means, you should be an instructor to show everyone else how it's done since you can remain clear of mind in that situation.
Again, seeing the demeanor of the man, his hands in his pocket, the best course of action would have been distance + any obstacle + de-escalate.
The cops made the wrong call on the approach which set up the moment that followed. I haven't seen any video but the picture is pretty damning to see. That's not a "danger" pose by any stretch of even the most creative imagination.
Shitty situation all around.
