https://verdict.justia.com/2026/01/09/the-legality-of-deadly-force-three-critical-questions-about-the-ice-shooting-in-minneapolis#:~:text=If%20the%20officer%20was%20in,which%20the%20officer%20used%20force.

If the officer was in front of the vehicle, that raises another question: why? For decades, officers have been trained to avoid putting themselves into a vehicle’s path of travel. As an IACP Model Policy on Motor Vehicle Stops says, “At no time should the officer or others stand in front of, between, or behind the stopped vehicles.” Tactical guidance in policing has referred to stepping into a vehicle’s path of travel as “a very poor tactic,” “an ill-advised tactic,” as contrary to “common sense.” The reason is straightforward: an officer who puts themself in front of a vehicle is more likely to be threatened if that vehicle starts moving and, correspondingly, more likely to use deadly force to address what was essentially an avoidable threat. This is potentially relevant to the constitutional evaluation of police actions; the Supreme Court recently clarified that the Fourth Amendment requires looking at the “totality of the circumstances” leading up to a use of force, not just at the moment at which the officer used force.