It’s a difficult reality that law enforcement officers sometimes face: the necessity of using lethal force. Headlines often declare, “Officers Shoot and Kill Man.” While factually accurate, such statements can create a misleading and negative perception, suggesting that cops are killers. This is a harmful misrepresentation.
The fact that lethal force is sometimes the only option to stop a threat does not make a police officer a killer. It’s no different than labeling an officer a batterer when they are fighting a combative suspect. Furthermore, officers who engage in lethal force should not carry the burden of guilt and remorse. It’s time to slay that dragon.
Many peace officers carry the burden of guilt and remorse after a fatal encounter. It’s a heavy weight to bear.
I was once involved in a fatal encounter. The headline read, “Police Kill Ax Wielding Man.” After medical treatment, interviews, and submitting evidence, I was angry when I saw the headline. It was accurate, but it felt like I was being called a “killer.” I know I am not a killer. My family knows this. I am a loving husband, father, and grandfather. So what was going on?
There are two important facts to remember. First, when someone takes actions that require officers to respond with lethal force, the suspect has chosen his or her own demise. It is helpful for cops to develop the mindset that we do not shoot to kill, but to stop the threat. As such, we train to shoot center mass and in the head. This is the most effective way to stop a threat. Furthermore, it’s muscle memory, a reflective instinct. As a result, bad guys die.
A criminal who threatens life should never be winged. An injured suspect who is hell-bent on killing can be just as lethal. Once this person has crossed the line, it’s time to end the threat as effectively as possible—center mass and headshots—no apologies necessary!
When deadly force is legally deployed in response to a lethal threat, it is classified as a justified homicide. “Malice aforethought” is required for murder, and it’s glaringly absent when officers use deadly force in a justified manner. Therefore, the person who used lethal force is not a killer, but a survivor!
Many police officers identify as Christian. Christian peace officers and family members sometimes struggle with the biblical commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 KJV). What happens when deadly force is required? The Old Testament word used in Hebrew is “ratsach,” which was translated into the King James Version as “kill.” But the Hebrew word has a much broader definition. Theologians agree a more accurate translation is “murder.” That is why the verse is translated, “You shall not murder” in the English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Version (NASB), New King James Version (NKJV), and the New Living Translation (NLT), among others. Using force is an act of love.
Other than death by natural causes, scenes that include the deceased are labeled “Homicides.” Yet just because we have a homicide does not mean a crime exists. Homicides can be categorized as accidental, suicide, justified, manslaughter, vehicular, or murder. As a result, three of the categories are criminal, while three are not. Therefore, if a police officer takes the life of another using lawful force, it is deemed a justifiable homicide. As such, there is no conflict with the command in Exodus or Deuteronomy that says, “You shall not murder.”
A justified homicide is not murder, in the legal or biblical sense! And the officer who is required to use lethal force to preserve life is a survivor, not a killer!