A Seattle police officer at the center of Tuesday night's shooting is an expert in the use of tasers and an instructor in non-lethal force, but was forced to use his weapon [gun], according to Seattle police. The officer involved in the shooting at Third Avenue and Yesler Way in downtown Seattle was identified as Officer Chris Myers, a 20-year veteran and former Officer of the Year. Investigators said police responded to a 911 call of a man at a bus stop with a gun. Officers said they confronted the man, but he began to walk away. According to police, Myers tried to taze the suspect, then saw the suspect reach into the waistband of his pants grab what appeared to be a metal object. Myers dropped the taser, drew his gun and fired one shot into the suspect's torso. A gun was recovered, but it was not loaded. ... The suspect was last listed in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center. [LINK]When a suspect reaches for a gun and the officer uses his gun to protect himself, then there's nothing to complain about. Nothing.
When the subject reached for the gun, this officer chose not to rely upon his unreliable taser. He dropped the taser, and then dropped the subject. A very wise decision.
And a few more questions need to be asked:
Why wasn't the taser wasn't effective?
Did the taser help the situation in any way?
Did the taser actually encourage the subject to reach for the gun?
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