A short thread on why there are those who believe that the #JacobBlake shooting was justified and why it will be very hard to get the officer convicted.

The suspect ( #JacobBlake) has obviously been aggressive toward the officers or other people. This is not on video, but they've tasered him, so that seems like a reasonable assumption at this point. He has resisted arrest (a felony). He disobeyed commands.

He was aware that guns were pointed at him. He was obviously mad at and frustrated with the police officers. No way could they have allowed this man to enter the car. Think about what could have happened if they hadn't intervened.

Most obviously, he could have had a gun in the car and shot the officers. But even if there was no gun (which in hindsight we know) he could also have used the car as a weapon against the officers. How should they stop that car with four kids inside? #JacobBlake

And even if he wouldn't have done either of this and just drove away. Should they have followed him on a car chase with four kids in the car? What about their lives? What about the lives of other motorists? Or should they have just allowed him to drive away? #JacobBlake

They didn't know who he was. Could have been wanted person (turns out he was). Could have had a criminal record (turns out he had one). What about the kids? Are they his kids? Is he a caring dad? Or could he take them as hostages or harm them otherwise? No way to know

There are so many things that could have gone very wrong, and he knew exactly that guns were pointed at him, that he resisted arrest. A suspect can't be allowed to enter a car when the officers say he is under arrest, tasered him already and point guns at him. #JacobBlake

You can't walk away and enter your car in such a situation. That's common sense.

The officers had no way of knowing who he was, if he had a gun in the car and what he was up to when he tried to enter the car, and they could reasonable suspect that he would put their lives, the lives of the kids or that of bystanders or other motorists in danger. #JacobBlake

That's at least how I would argue if I was defense counsel. I think it will be very hard to achieve a conviction in this case. #JacobBlake

Remember the cops who killed Philando Castile and Daniel Shaver walked. This case will be even harder to try imo. #JacobBlake

To be clear, this thread is my first assessment based on very limited evidence (the video and some context basically). If new evidence emerges of racist motives or other incriminating evidence, that might be a different story. #JacobBlake #BlackLivesMatter