When is deadly force appropriate to respond to imminent threat?

• A. Only when there is an imminent threat to life or serious bodily harm and less-lethal options are ineffective or impractical.
• B. Only when there is an imminent threat to life or serious bodily harm and less-lethal options have been attempted or are impractical.
• C. Whenever the officer feels endangered regardless of threat level.
• D. Only after a warning shot has been fired.

Answer: (B)

Deadly force is viewed as a last resort, used only when there is an imminent threat to life or serious bodily harm and there are no reasonable alternatives. The key idea is reasonableness and necessity: you must believe the threat is immediate, and either there are no effective less-lethal options available or you have already attempted them or they would be impractical in the moment. This protects safety while preserving proportionality—you escalate to deadly force only to the extent needed to stop the imminent danger.

That’s why the best choice is the one that requires both an imminent threat and the consideration or failure of less-lethal options before deadly force is used. It isn’t appropriate to rely on mere fear or to act whenever you feel endangered without a threat of serious harm, nor is it appropriate to rely on warning shots, which are generally not sanctioned or reliable in critical moments.