Reply #5: Don't know... [View All]

but the primary responsibility is on the shoulders of the person "weilding" said object, whether it be a bar of soap carved to represent a gun, a cellphone held a certain way, or a replica gun.

If you don't want to get shot, do not use any object in a threatening manner. If any object is used in a threatening manner, then the officer is justified in using whatever force necessary to eliminate the threat he/she thinks is posed by the object he/she thinks is present.

For instance, we've seen the video of the officers shooting and killing a suspect weilding a cellular telephone, while attempting to flee, in a dark parking lot. From the video, I can see how the officers could easily mistake the phone for a gun, therefore they were justified, IMO.