I think the boyfriend was totally justified in shooting at police... I don't think he heard them say "Police" whether they did or not. However, now put yourself in the officers' shoes. You've just breached into an apartment. A shot is fired at you (and hits one of the officers). What do you think they should do at that point?
I can't see a charge of murder here. Even reckless homicide would be tough to make.
It was a bad situation, the Taylor shooting. I'm not 100% on the officers side; I mean, they shot an unarmed woman in her own house, with no provocation from her...BUT they were shot at by an armed man standing next to her, during the commission of a warrant. I'm not 100% on Taylor's side either; the stories that have come out about illegal activities would sway me from that...BUT it's terrifying when someone breaks in your door, waking you out of a sound sleep. Whether the cops yelled police or not, if you are asleep, you aren't going to hear and register the police are the ones busting in your door, especially ones not in uniform.
We had a home invasion attempt when we lived in Colorado, back in the mid 90s. DD#2 and I were at then just BF/now DH's home, sleeping over, and some wannabe gang members busted in his front door. We don't know if they were coming in to steal stuff...not that he had alot back then...or if it was for something much worse...but DH came flying up out of bed, stark naked, grabbed his machete from under the bed edge, and ran down the hallway, chasing them outside. I have never seen him get up and go so fast. Neither one of us heard a sound until the door was broken in completely. They had to have made noise when they were first attempting to get in, but neither of us heard it. And this was a tiny one bedroom apartment, bedroom door was open (DD was asleep on the couch in the living room, and slept through the whole thing). Never caught, btw.
Here in Jax, about 10 years back, there was a shootout with police in the open street, up the road from our then apartment. Guy tried to rob a bank and then went to carjack someone, cops went after him. A mom and 2 children were in the car. Five officers shot 42 rounds at the guy, killed the guy. Seven year old didn't get hit; mom was shot in the foot by a ricochetted bullet...the toddler was hit in the arm and torso and almost died. The officers could see the mom and kids in the car...and needed to shoot 42 times to kill the guy. At least 15 shots hit the car in the windshield, hood, passenger and drivers side windows. The guy had a gun, .357, but did not use it at any point in the shooting; he didn't have it in his hand, but the officers knew he had a gun from the robbery attempt.
Forty two shots.
Twenty four shots by one officer.
A different situation, yes, as a crime was in process. But there are some similarities with the lack of firearm control by an officer, and the fact there was an innocent person in the line of fire. And at that moment, no matter what other things that she may or may not have done, Taylor was innocent. She was in her bed asleep; she was not resisting arrest, she was not armed. Suspicion of a crime doesn't give an officer the right to shoot her.
I think the majority of police officers do not get enough training on how to handle their firearms, especially in 'bad' situations. They are taught how to shoot, when to shoot...but when it's an intense pressure situation, that training can get lost. So, maybe murder charges aren't appropriate here, but I think more than 'wanton endangerment' for the neighbors isn't quite enough.