Radley Balko arguing that sending this particular bad shooter cop to prison might not be the right thing to do. Or at least it might not be the most important thing to do.
All of that said, watch the video again. Does Groubert look like a cold-blooded killer? I doubt he got out of his car intending to shoot Jones. It looks to me like Groubert was terrified, possibly jumped to some conclusions about Jones based on his race and appearance, and reacted out of fear. Which is to say that this looks less like a rogue cop and more the product of poor training, possible racial bias, and a cop who has been conditioned to see threats where none exist.
But “Officer Safety is Paramount!” What could possibly go wrong?
Perhaps it’s not nice of me, but I keep thinking about “throw-down weapons” and how the unblinking eye of police dash cams must have made them a thing of the past. But for the existence of that damning dash cam video, Groubert might well be back on patrol today and Jones would be the one in custody.