According to news reports, Jereme Lamberth did not know that the person he shot was a cop. Lamberth was sitting at a bus stop when he was “approached by an unidentified white male,” according to the arrest affidavit. Jensen[cop] “grabbed ahold of his left arm” and told Lamberth he was “going with him” or he would break Lamberth’s arm, according to the affidavit. As Jensen used both hands to hold Lamberth’s arm, Lamberth said he “drew a .44 caliber revolver from his waistband and shot the individual once,” court records show. “He said he was trying to shoot the individual in the arm.” After Jensen was down, Lamberth told investigators he waited “for between one and two seconds” before shooting Jensen again. Lamberth “had indicated he did not want any more problems from this individual and that was the reason why he had fired the second shot,” according to court records. Lamberth “made no statements that he was aware this individual who had confronted him was a Colorado Springs Police Department officer.”
Well doesnt that put a difference spin on the whole cop-killer case? When some unidentified person comes and threatens bodily harm physical force IS justified. Plain and simple. This is very similar to these no-knock raids the police do. No announcement, an overt and obvious threat posed and when things go wrong the defendant is charged with and usually found guilty of murdering a cop.