at what point?

[spacemanspiff]

does a LEO decide to use his weapon?

i was watching one of those 'wildest police videos' last week and they had a traffic stop where the passenger went for the officers gun. after a brief struggle, in which the officer was able to keep his gun from being unholstered and the passenger took off running, he drew his weapon and emptied the magazine, didnt hit him, but he still fired.

then i hear other stories of armed suspects being taken down without any deadly force. so what is the deciding factor? is it a gut instinct?

 

[Erik]

LEOs are taught a force continuum, ranaging from mere officer presence to the justified use of lethal force.

Any time the force continuum justifies the use of lethal force, they may do so. Note that they may not opt to do so. Every situation is different, so the veritable LEO mantra goes...

 

[trapshooter]

Without going into gory details, some places, it's ok to shoot a fleeing felon. Other places, it's a major no-no. Your location may vary at law.

 

[fed168]

I think the deciding factor is the suspect deciding to quit. It is not a gut instinct per se, you just know these things as they occur. I can relate two stories from personal experience: we took down a shooter who decided to call on his mother and his spiritual leader for help, and he quit. Why, I don't know, since the last two times he was arrested was after a fight or at gunpoint. I think the idea of being shot made him stop.
The other thing is being prepared. One fine citizen told me he was going to run, but thought otherwise "cause you looked ready." Suspects read this, and for the most part don't want to get hurt anymore than possible. Some don't want to tangle with an armed officer when they know they may not make it, they would rather tangle with an unarmed person when they know that they can dominate the encounter.