re: Intense police bodycam footage vs. guy with knife

No clue why the first officer holstered his weapon, the second officer likely saved his arse after the guy got him.

quote:

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Not sure why the other officers holstered his weapon

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I'm assuming 3 distinct reasons.

A) retention holster. Once in there it needs to be removed a certain way.

B) it creates 2 points of contact control for the officer, while still allowing him one free arm to defend himself. Plus, it's far more effective than trying to hold it with two hands against an assailant. His hands are sweaty and the other dude is covered in blood. Maintaining his grip would have been extremely difficult, and losing it creates danger for everyone involved. Even if his hands still hold it, it slipping means the trigger could accidentally be pulled. The holster create a pocket from which the gun can only be moved from in one direction, so the cop can concentrate all of his force to stop that motion. Whereas holding it in a scuffle the assailant would thrashing every direction trying to take the gun.

C) this kind of goes with the end of B. holstering it while wrestling a suspect, means the suspect can't pull the trigger during the melee if the gun is still in the officers hands.

Also, I'm pretty sure the officer didn't during the second charge because he was unsure of what was behind the suspect while trying to evade him.

All in all, officer was smart and had good training. The second officers reaction and excellent shooting at the end also speaks to them having excellent training.