When is deadly force justified?

• A. When there is a non-violent offense.
• B. Whenever an officer feels scared.
• C. When there is an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to the officer or others, and no reasonable alternative exists.
• D. When a suspect is uncooperative.

Answer: (C)

The main concept is that deadly force is justified only as a last resort when there is an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to the officer or others, and there are no reasonable alternatives to stop the threat. This means the danger is happening or about to happen in the near future, and non-lethal options or the opportunity to retreat are not feasible. Fear or a non-violent offense alone does not meet this standard, and simply dealing with an uncooperative suspect does not by itself justify deadly force. The justification hinges on imminence, necessity, and proportionality—the force used must be appropriate to the threat and used only when no safer alternative exists.