Just before Marquette opened fire, body camera video appears to show the light from Perkins’ gun pointing upwards against his house, away from Marquette. Prosecutors said that indicated that Perkins tried to raise his arms in surrender before he was killed.
…
Perkins’ didn’t fire any bullets but his gun was found with a “depressed trigger,” according to the state law enforcement agent who investigated the shooting. The agent, Jamie King, said it is not clear when the trigger was pulled, and that the chamber was empty.
…
King said that the officers had “reasonable belief that Perkins was going to use deadly force” and had to make a quick decision. But he also questioned why the officers were there in the first place, and said there were other police tactics that could have avoided the situation altogether.
Archived at https://archive.is/OAatC
“Stop! Police!” *instantly shoots 17 times
Why even yell at that point? If you are so afraid he might shoot someone, then stay behind cover and yell that police are present and to drop the gun. When you startle a person with a gun, there can be pretty predictable responses. If you aren’t afraid he might shoot someone, then why instantly shoot 17 times without giving him time to comply?