The town in question is a very small one, not some bustling metropolis infamous for high-speed chases, etc. Speeding isn't a felony nor a misdemeanor (in any state I've lived in thus far, merely a "civil" infraction). The whole incident could have been avoided at one of several points: Kenney not speeding, McKay not pursuing Kenney for a civil infraction, Kenney not leaving the scene (instead of simply waiting there and refusing to talk/roll down the window, etc.), McKay not chasing after Kenney (small town, known agent, remember?), McKay not hosing down Kenney with pepper spray, Kenney not blowing his top and using lethal force...
Speeding's criminal. But were it not, refusing to stop, and running from a lawful stop is criminal. Evading in a vehicle is a felony in many jurisdictions (like Texas).
Given the potential danger of a person evading in a vehicle from a law enforcement officer, combined with the fact that the violator has already been convicted of assaulting that officer, should the officer wait to be attacked by the violator again? What about the duty to the community? Arresting the boy was the way to go. He used an intermediate weapon to attempt to disable a non-cooperative violent felon, in a lawful arrest. He was shot for his trouble.
Saying that there was bad blood, simply on the basis of the fact that the officer had been a victim of the man's attack previously and had again pulled the man over again, is far too simplistic. Understand-- in a small town, the local cop deals with the same guys, over and over again. If you've got a particularly messy kid, you're going to have to deal with his messes again and again. Friends, I've been there. I could name you three guys that I've had situations with in the past, that I'll have situations with again. It's not that I'm "gunning for them," it's just that they're prone to it. To say that they're not is to ignore their histories. I would LOVE to see these guys rehabilitated. But they'll be out, and committing crimes, and meeting me and my handcuffs, before this year is through. And someone will probably claim that, because I dealt with them last time, that I've got "bad blood" with them. Nope. I just happen to know their names, and their histories. That doesn't change the objective facts of whatever harebrained act they commit next time.
In a small town, we regularly have just one guy on duty. Getting "another officer" isn't an option without calling one in from another agency. That's not the officer's job or duty. The violator, if he doesn't like the way things are being handled, can surely lodge his protests with the chief, the City, and the state and federal courts. Creating a scene at the side of the road will always put the guy who was stopped in the wrong. Why do that, when you can very possibly win in court or in the court of public opinion, later?
Every drop of blood spilled in this case was at the hands of Liko Kenney.
But at least we can all agree on this: Thank God for Gregory Floyd and his son.