Efforts Tolessen Police Use of Force During Confrontations Between Officers

Efforts tolessen police use of force during confrontations between officers and civilians are presently a priority for law enforcement authorities in the United States. As a veteran police officer and detective of 17 years, one evening you are on your way home from work and you stop at the grocery store topick up a few items for dinner. As you're approaching the counter of the store, a young man in one of the checkout lines pulls a knife out of his jacket and points it across the counter at the cashier and screams "Give me your money, now!" The other customers behind the suspect run back intothe store as you approach the suspect, unholster your firearm, and pull it out toyour side. The suspect then sees you, grabs a nearby customer around the neck and places the knife totheir throat. You then raise your firearm and instruct the suspect todrop his knife. He does not. You order him again, and he still does not. He then indicates that he does not care if he dies and begins tocut the customer's neck with the knife; what doyou do? Please explain and defend your course of action.