I'm betting that once the dash cam footage is released we will see that he had his gun in hand as he came around the SUV, I know I would with what I saw from the passenger side.
Exactly! If the situation looks under control and you stop behind the officer, are you a friend of the guy he's holding the gun on? Doesn't matter, you'll be treated as if you were!
Stop beyond the officer? Now you're downrange.
Just keep driving. If the officer appears to need immediate help? Yhea, that changes things.
O2
If I were a private citizen, no, if the officer had one at gunpoint I wouldn't stop to render aid, that's gonna set off his spidey senses a bit. But, as a LEO, off-duty, driving by, yes- I'd pull my badge out (it's always on a chain around my neck), announce my presence as a fellow LEO, and offer aid, either in keeping lethal cover so he can cuff, or go hands on and cuff while he maintains lethal cover. You never know how far out backup is, and these situations can deteriorate quickly, even if he has one at gunpoint.
Quick reaction and he's damn lucky that rifle wasn't loaded. The guy didn't appear to really have the drop on him, but the video doesn't really show everything (they never do). Not sure what the deputy saw when he did his passenger side approach that made him go back around the rear of the vehicle, but if I had to guess he probably saw him grab something and begin to exit the vehicle.
Thank you for the advice on the civilian part. Now that you put it that way, I can see your point and why that would be a bad idea.
Now if he was on the ground in a fight...different story.
If an officer was on the ground with a wound, but still in the fight, I'm thinking that would be a different situation all together as well. I also wouldn't exit the vehicle gun drawn either.
You can slow it down on youtube, if you do, to me it looks like the guy raised the gun in a move to butt strike the officer when he pulled and shot. I practice at the range to pull and shoot from the hip with the target with in a few feet but damn that was fast.