Ohio Traffic Stop Shooting Was Best Possible Outcome for Public Safety

A recent police shooting in Ohio has gained national attention. Of course it was cast as racist and poor police work but the evidence is to the contrary.  First the incident in Ohio....  (excerpt)

August 01, 2015 02:52PM
CINCINNATI, Ohio --Police have released body camera footage showing the moment a Cincinnati police officer shot a motorist during a traffic stop over a missing front license plate.
Authorities said 25-year-old Officer Ray Tensing spotted a car driven by 43-year-old Samuel DuBose and a struggle ensued after DuBose refused to provide a driver's license and get out of the car. 

Tensing said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot Dubose. He fired once, striking DuBose in the head     READ MORE

Video follows:

The reflexive action by this officer most likely saved  lives of other people, including his own. Attempting to resist arrest and injuring this officer was not only intentionally reckless, but what would have been the results of a police chase ? Consider these facts from USA Today 

More than 5,000 bystanders and passengers have been killed in police car chases since 1979, and tens of thousands more were injured as officers repeatedly pursued drivers at high speeds and in hazardous conditions, often for minor infractions, a USA TODAY analysis shows. 

The bystanders and the passengers in chased cars account for nearly half of all people killed in police pursuits from 1979 through 2013, USA TODAY found. Most bystanders were killed in their own cars by a fleeing driver. 

While the point of the USA Today article might question the value of police chases for 'minor' offenses, it ignores the other criminal charges that the driver is seeking to avoid by fleeing.  Just take the driver in Cincinnati for example.  No front plate, no license or insurance, a bottle of booze, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and possible property damage, injury and death when the driver flees. The facts are a 50 cent bullet prevented a much worse ending to this traffic stop that was turning into another police chase. .