Deadly force is justified in which circumstance?

• A. To prevent a non-imminent threat.
• B. To punish the suspect.
• C. To deter future crimes.
• D. To prevent imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that deadly force is justified only to stop an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to you or others. The danger must be immediate, and there must be no reasonable, effective alternatives available in time. It isn’t justified to use lethal force to punish, deter future crime, or for threats that are not imminent. In practice, if a suspect is actively trying to harm someone now and you reasonably believe they will cause serious injury or death without rapid intervention, lethal force may be necessary. If the threat isn’t imminent or could be resolved with non-lethal means, deadly force would not be appropriate.