Judge Nap says authorities may be hoping for 'compromise verdict' in Rayshard Brooks death case
A taser provides 50,000 volts so is it deadly force? That is the key according to Judge Nap.
From the article -
"Brooks was shot Friday night after resisting arrest following his failure to pass a field sobriety test. Shortly before he was shot, Brooks grabbed one of the officers' Tasers and pointed at them as he tried to flee the scene.
Napolitano told host Neil Cavuto that a jury would have to consider whether Rolfe thought his life was at risk when Brooks fired the Taser.
"A trial judge will tell the jury that if a police officer thinks that deadly force is aimed at him, and if his thoughts are reasonable -- even if it's a rubber band and a paper clip, but he thinks it's a deadly force -- then he is justified in using deadly force ...," he said. "All officers know that Tasers produce 50,000 volts of electricity. That's enough to stop an elephant. It's certainly enough to kill a human being.
JUDGE NAPOLITANO SAYS IT WILL BE HARD TO PROVE 'MURDER' OF RAYSHARD BROOKS BY POLICE
"Whether they're characterized as deadly weapons or not, the judge will tell the jury, if the officer reasonably believed it was a deadly weapon and reasonably believed it was aimed at him, he was justified in using force," he went on.
"The second thing the court will tell the jury is, when cops at a scene are faced with choices between life and death, the life of somebody who they think poses a threat and the death of themselves, they are allowed to make that decision in favor of defending themselves. So again, the test here is not what a reasonable person would think, but what a reasonable police officer would think."
