Protected interest at the first shot
Who or what the officer acted to protect when the first lethal shot was fired, as official accounts describe it.
- Status
- Current
- Version
- 1.0
- Date
- October 2, 2026
Methods entries document how EWRL research is produced. Findings and conclusions appear in the Reports and Evidence Base collections.
On this page
What it is
This variable records whom the discharging officer or officers acted to protect from an imminent threat at the moment the first lethal shot was fired, as documented in official accounts. It maps the principal administrative, tactical, or legal justification cited for the decision to use deadly force.
How the Lab records it
Codebook variable: I_POPS. Coded from official statements or investigative records.
Value labels: PO / PS / Both / Indeterminate.
Protection of officer (PO): official accounts explicitly state that the first shot was fired to protect the discharging officer, or other responding officers, from imminent death or serious bodily injury — for example, the subject charged an officer with the edged weapon raised, or threatened to kill officers while closing distance.
Protection of public safety (PS): official accounts explicitly state that the first shot was fired to protect third parties, hostages, bystanders, or the public from an imminent threat — for example, the subject was stabbing or lunging at a civilian when police fired, or was moving toward an uncontained crowd with the weapon raised.
Both: official accounts explicitly name both interests as equally driving the decision to fire simultaneously — for example, the subject was advancing on an officer who was shielding a victim, placing both under immediate threat.
Indeterminate: a lethal discharge occurred but the available records do not contain sufficient detail to determine whether the immediate threat was directed at police, the public, or both.
What the record can and cannot show
The variable records the justification cited in official accounts; it is not the Lab’s assessment of whether the shot was legally justified or constitutionally permissible. The variable is only as complete as the official accounts on which it depends, and the indeterminate category exists precisely for records that lack the necessary detail. It also describes only the moment of the first lethal shot, not the broader encounter sequence.
Legal context
How courts evaluate a use of deadly force is described in the backgrounders on the federal excessive-force standard and related authorities. This variable records only what official accounts say motivated the first shot.
Related
How to cite
Edged-Weapon Response Lab. (2026). Protected interest at the first shot. In EWRL Methods Documentation (Version 1.0). https://droptheknife.org/methods/I_POPS