[VIDEO] Minneapolis State Trooper Forced to Kill

[allingeneral]

This just goes to show how important it can be to be legally armed to protect yourself. Hopefully, a civilian would never be in this situation, but you never know when some nutbag is going to do something stupid like this guy did. The trooper did exactly as he should have. If he had waited a split second longer, he may have been in the obituaries instead of the idiot with the rifle. Kudos to Trooper Pearson.

http://www.startribune.com/local/97946219.html

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune
Last update: July 7, 2010 - 4:50 PM
Video: Trooper kills man with rifle

The Minnesota State Patrol released a dashboard video Wednesday that shows the moments before a trooper fatally shot an Iron Range man.

Trooper Travis Pearson is a seven-year veteran assigned to the patrol's Virginia district. Pearson shot 66-year-old Donnie Joe Lira of Cherry Township on June 12 after Lira reportedly fired shots at the home where his estranged wife and her children were staying.

According to the patrol, Pearson was responding to a 911 call of shots fired in the area.

The video, captured by a camera mounted in Pearson's patrol car, shows the trooper following Lira into his driveway, and Lira slowly and deliberately getting out of his car with a long gun.

"Drop the gun!" Pearson screams. "Drop the gun! Right now! Drop it! Drop the gun! Drop the gun or I'll kill you!"

After Pearson's repeated commands to drop the gun, the video shows Lira loading the weapon and raising and beginning to point it toward Pearson.

The video stops a moment before Pearson fires.

The St. Louis County attorney's office has ruled the shooting was justified because Pearson was acting to protect himself from apparent death or great bodily harm, according to the patrol.

Pearson was placed on paid administrative leave following the incident, which is standard State Patrol procedure in deadly force incidents. Pearson has since returned to regular duty.

[SgtBill]

He did show great restraint and did the right thing. No one in their right mind want's to take another human beings life no matter what the situation is but sometime's we are just forced to do so and then have to find a way to live with both it and the ghost's from then on. It ain't easy at some time's and it sure ain't like on TV or in the Movie's.
Bill