Perhaps, but he's wrong in precisely how I stated that he was in this particular case. Fear isn't the standard for lethal force justification. It must be reasonable fear by an objective standard. Were that not the case, Barney Fife would be justified in shooting half the town of Mayberry.
Nice twist, but what is reasonable is determined by what the individual in fear believes. You are correct in a way, as fear is not the only justification of the use of deadly force. If a person has displayed the use of deadly force (which a knife represents) and it is reasonably believed (again...by the individual) that death or serious bodily injury to another will occur if the arrest is delayed, deadly force is justified.
No twist was intended. With all due respect, however, there is a distinction between what an individual officer fears and what fears are reasonable under the circumstances. One is a subjective matter, and has no bearing on justification, while the other is an objective matter on which hinges legal justification.
