Law enforcement in most (all?) states/federal can kill "fleeing felons" if, in the opinion of the officer, the person poses a threat to the officer or to the public (Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985)
Now the cogent point is what is a "fleeing felon"?
In some jurisdictions a person is a fleeing felon when
1. There is a felony warrant out for their arrest
2. And the person is aware of this warrant
3. And the person is actively trying to evade capture by law enforcement
This how the DHS (actually all federal law enforcement agencies) defines a Fleeing Felon
But in some state jurisdictions, no warrant is needed and the person only has to be
suspected of committing a felony and is actively attempting to evade capture. Yikes, that's an ambiguous definition
What is really scary is that a person violating probation for a misdemeanor may, in some state jurisdictions, be considered a "fleeing felon".
(law.duke.edu/ aidsproject/ 400_01/ readings/ publicresources/ benefits/ Fleeing%20Felon/ Fleeing%20Felon_files/Who.doc)
Double yikes!
Honestly, I am more concerned with State law enforcement than Federal law enforcement.... especially depending on the state.
In any case, the point I am trying to make is that law enforcement legally killing US citizens without a trial/conviction has occurred and will continue to occur.