Opinion ID: 6318081
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Distance Between the Officer and the Person

Text: While the distance between the officer and the person is less significant when the person is armed and aiming a firearm at the officers, see DeMerrell, 206 F. App’x at 429, the distance is relevant when the officer is afraid of a hand-to-hand confrontation with the person, see Zulock, 441 F. App’x at 302 (likely unreasonable to shoot man armed with a knife when officers were eighteen to twenty feet away); Rucinski v. Cnty. of Oakland, 655 F. App’x 338, 342 (6th Cir. 2016) (reasonable to shoot man who approached officer and got within five feet while wielding a knife). Johns said he was concerned that Palma would “physically reach him, assault him, and perhaps obtain [his] weapon.” (Johns Aff., R. 46-2, Page ID #576.) According to Johns, Palma got within six or seven feet of Johns. But, according to Melissa, Palma never got close enough to reach Johns. She said that Palma and Johns were always ten to fifteen feet apart. If Palma No. 21-3315 Palma, et al. v. Johns, et al. Page 20 was ten to fifteen feet away from Johns, and was not moving when Johns shot him, then Palma did not pose an imminent threat of harm, especially because Johns never saw a weapon.