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Deadly force, also known as lethal force, is the use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person. In most jurisdictions, the use of deadly force is justified only under conditions of extreme necessity as a last resort , when all lesser means have failed or cannot reasonably be employed.
Under U.S. law the fleeing felon rule was limited in 1985 to non-lethal force in most cases by Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1.The justices held that deadly force "may not be used unless necessary to prevent the escape and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious bodily harm to the officer or others."
Some states have adopted a "forcible felony rule", under which police are only authorized to use deadly force to apprehend people suspected of forcible felonies. [1] Prior to the Supreme Court's 1985 decision in Tennessee v. Garner, this was a minority position, and many states authorized deadly force to apprehend any fleeing felon. [2]
Whether a jurisdiction follows stand-your-ground or duty-to-retreat is just one element of its self-defense laws. Different jurisdictions allow deadly force against different crimes. All American states allow it against prior deadly force, great bodily injury, and likely kidnapping or rape; some also allow it against threat of robbery and burglary.
Apr. 6—The arrest of a Terre Haute jewelry store owner who fired a handgun at suspects fleeing a theft Tuesday has raised questions of what is legal and appropriate use of force in defense of a ...
The right of self-defense (also called, when it applies to the defense of another, alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is the right for people to use reasonable or defensive force, for the purpose of defending one's own life (self-defense) or the lives of others, including, in certain circumstances, the use of ...
Experts say the police shootings, two of hundreds across the U.S. each year, underscore the prevalent use of deadly force by law enforcement despite widespread de-escalation standards.
Deadly force is permitted only “when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to ...