Boston police fire on SUV driving on sidewalk

Morally, I would say probably yes. If someone is deliberately endangering the lives of others, then I don't see a problem stopping them. That may involve the use of lethal force.

Tactically, it may not be the best idea to fire on a moving vehicle, particularly in a crowded urban setting.

Legally, how is this different than any other public SHTF scenario? I'm no legal expert, but I don't see a difference.
 
It's an interesting question

I was actually on the scene about five minutes after it happened. That doesn't mean anything in particular except that my first impression upon seeing four smashed up cars was that it had to be some kind of road rage incident. It only came out later the guy was a car thief who just went nuts when they tried to stop him.

This is one of the most congested intersections in downtown Boston and it is a miracle that nobody except this a-hole was injured.

I do think that unless the guy was headed directly at you, that shooting him in most towns, especially Boston, would land you in world of hurt.
 
Would you be shooting at all the cars driving down that particular sidewalk?

I'm sorry, I just can't resist.

But, seriously if you thought you had a reasonable chance to save a life(or that your inaction could cost a life), I would shoot first and let the cards fall where they may.
 
Who's that guy on the comedy channel that said:

The cops were profiling when they arrested me for DUI, they were stopping everbody that was driving down that sidewalk!"
 
Possessing a CCW does not make me Batman. I owe no duty to strangers.

There are many reasons a person could be on the sidewalk, heart attack, swerving to miss dog, diabetic insulin shock, driver being giving a sexual favor (had that on an OWI once), inter alia.

Pulling and using your pistol without danger to yourself can have nothing but bad conseqeunces. Shout a warning, stay around to be interviewed by the police.
 
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the showing of spineless cowards in a thread like this. If the police had a right to stop an aggressor, so did any other armed citizen. Of course, I'm not recommending "Batman" antics; just plain old red-blooded American behavior.
 
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the showing of spineless cowards in a thread like this. If the police had a right to stop an aggressor, so did any other armed citizen. Of course, I'm not recommending "Batman" antics; just plain old red-blooded American behavior.
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Have a good lawyer and good luck.
 
rivers: what if the guy was having a heart attack like KSFreeman suggested?
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For some reason I don't think that there would be multiple cop cars chasing down a heart attack sufferer through downtown streets. Also, most heart attacks that are suffered in a car result in crashing into the nearest inanimate object, or spazmodic fits of over-corretion trying to stay on or get back on the road, and not a controlled cruise down the sidewalk. I am not saying that automatically deciding to shoot is the best course of action, I just wondered if armed citizens had the right to, if the threat is iminent, neutralize a BG in an automobile.
 
Articulation is the key. Can you explain why you thought your life and others' were in danger? I'd say yes in this case.

Other things to think about in this situation. The car is being chased by officers. You opening fire may not be taken properly by the officers in pursuit. Also, one lesson learned at the academy. a 2oz bullet travelling at 900fps does not equal 3000lbs at 45mph.

On a crowded street with no cops in pursuit? Ok,but then, as others have stated, how can you determine that this person is committing a crime and not injured/unconscious/etc?

Which further begs the question, if someone is endangering your life in this way, can you still shoot them even if they are not malicious? What I'm saying is, allow that the driver is incapacitated and the car is careening down the sidewalk at a high rate of speed. This is obviously a danger to your life and the lives of others. However, the person has had a seizure and passed out. It is just dumb luck that the car has not stopped yet, but the foot is on the gas. Can you still justify shooting the person? Life and limb are threatened....
 
You pose an excellent question jcoiii. Its easy for us to read a story and with complete(ish) observer perspective on the situation in which all details have been spelled out, and speak freely on how we would react. Truth be told in the heat of the moment, for example on that sidewalk in Boston, most of us would have just tried to get the heck out of the way since there is probably no way to know what the intentions of the driver were. It would be a bad situation to be in if you did draw, shoot, and by some miracle actually hit and kill the driver of a briskly moving vehicle, and an investigation shows a mechanical failure on said vehicle in which the driver had absolutely no control over.
 
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