[quote=Omega]
Police are not allowed to aim for the leg or other extremities unless there are extenuating circumstances, it is considered cruel to shoot someone in the leg as it can then be argued lethal force was not necessary to inflict on the person if they could be disabled with a likely non-fatal shot.
[/quote]

Yep. A gun by definition is lethal force. 'When is lethal force authorized' is something people don't necessarily understand.... there's something called a 'threat pyramid,' which I'm not positive they're still using, but the principle is the same. Essentially, the cop is [i]always[/i] supposed to be a level higher than whoever's coming at them -- that's a matter of public safety, not cop lulz. If they bring a knife, you bring a gun. If they bring a gun, you bring a tank. You do this because you are the agent of the state, which must at all times possess a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in order to maintain the rule of law. A person who presents noncompliance is *supposed* to be treated with physical control by the police officer. A person who presents a physical threat needs to be handled with superior force. That was (my) cop-101, which admittedly is a bit old and possibly outdated now, but I imagine the principles have remained more or less the same.