Let's call a murder a murder

Perceptions of the Shooting

• Many commenters characterize the killing as an extrajudicial execution or murder, emphasizing the victim’s role as a mother and the orphaned child.
• Strong focus on officer responsibility: he had a prior car-related incident, appears to ignore basic training (never stand in front of a vehicle), and escalated a low-level situation into lethal force.
• Others argue it’s not “clear cut”: they claim the video shows the car initially moving toward the officer on icy pavement, say he could reasonably have perceived an attempt to run him over, and that split‑second decisions complicate judgments of intent.
• A recurring sub‑debate centers on the 2nd and 3rd shots from the side window; even some who see the first shot as arguable self‑defense see later shots as indefensible and purely punitive.

ICE, Policing, and Impunity

• ICE is widely described as a paramilitary force whose “MO is intimidation,” with repeated comparisons to Nazi brownshirts and 1930s Germany.
• Commenters argue positions that allow state violence attract people who want to use it, especially when abuse is rarely punished; analogies are drawn to abusive clergy shielded by institutions.
• Several call for abolishing ICE (noting it was only created in 2003), or for criminal trials for senior officials; others frame this as now the “moderate” position.

Broader Authoritarianism and Political Response

• Many see the official response—lying, labeling the victim a terrorist, uncritical praise for the shooter, memes, threats of more violence—as more disturbing than the shooting itself.
• The killing is interpreted as part of a pattern: pardons for January 6 participants, attacks on courts and media, attempts to criminalize filming ICE, and talk of canceling elections—all read as steps toward a permanent authoritarian regime.
• Some insist this goes beyond “normal politics” and is about the survival of democracy; others argue that HN should avoid US political fights even while calling the killing horrible.

International and Comparative Perspectives

• Commenters compare immigration enforcement elsewhere:
  • Russia: no ICE‑like unit; ordinary police rarely shoot at cars, though torture and abuse happen after detention.
  • India: forcible expulsions and disregard for court orders.
  • UK: strong anti‑“illegal” immigrant sentiment but not comparable street shootings.
• One cites global polling showing immigrants often seen as a strength, countering the idea that anti‑immigrant sentiment is universally rising.

HN Meta and Community Reaction

• Frustration that the thread was flagged; multiple users accuse the community of cowardice, “no politics” evasions, and tacit support for authoritarianism.
• Others caution against absolutist “with us or against us” thinking and note the need for rare exceptions to HN’s politics‑avoidance when events are extraordinary.