The fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday has thrust a long-running and deeply contested question back into the national spotlight: When is a law enforcement officer justified in using lethal force against someone in a moving vehicle?
The killing, captured on cellphone video, has exposed sharp divisions between federal authorities and local officials. It has also renewed scrutiny of use-of-force rules that many police departments adopted decades ago to reduce the risk of bystanders being shot or drivers losing control after being hit by gunfire. While federal officials quickly defended the agent’s actions, local leaders called the shooting unjustified.
