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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.
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.
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."
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.
When the use of deadly force is involved in a self-defense claim, the person must also reasonably believe that their use of deadly force is immediately necessary to prevent the other's infliction of great bodily harm or death. [3] Most states no longer require a person to retreat before using deadly force. In the minority of jurisdictions which ...
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 ...
A law passed by Akron City Council in 2021 requires videos of "deadly force" by police to be automatically posted online for the public to view within seven days at akroncops.org.