https://www.newsweek.com/sydney-wilson-shot-dead-slashing-police-officer-1969116
To me, this seems like the polar opposite case of the shooting Sonya Massey. The Massey shooting, as I've said, I do belive to be a murder.
In fact, in the case of this police shooting, shooting of Sydney Wilson, I think it's the first case that the most common criticism of the officer is that he took too long to shoot.
A lot of people who have training with firearms for self-defense, and definitely every police officer knows about the improperly named 21 foot rule, which is a rule based on countless demonstrations that a trained person would not be able in unholster a gun and fire two shots center mass at a person charging with a blade from fewer that 21 feet. One of the reasons why it's bad to call this a rule, is that there's no guarantee that the person will stop being a threat after those two shots hit. In fact, most people charging with a knife will still manage to get a stab in from that distance, even if you're perfect with the gun.
The officer let Wilson get close enough to slash his head before firing. She kept coming after him after he fired.
Could the officer in this case have done a few things differently? Yes. This is still a clearly justified shooting.
One thing that sticks out to me as an important contrast between the officer who killed Massey and the officer who killed Wilson is what they said prior to shooting. The officer who killed Massey said, "I'll shoot you in the fucking face. The officer who killed Watson said, "Back up. Stop. Stop. Please stop. Stop."
That's an important lesson. Your words matter in how we evaluate your state of mind after the fact.
I hear, "I'm shoot you in the fucking face!" -- and then see the guy shoot her in the fucking face -- that's premeditated murder.
I hear, "Stop. Stop. Please stop. Stop. " -- and then I see the guy shoot when the attacker is right on top of him with a knife -- that's self-defense all day.