My understanding is that if a person unsuccessfully uses deadly force against an officer, a subsequent attempt to flee does not de-escalate the situation and the officer is within the law shooting the person in the back because the officer does not know if the person is merely fleeing in search of a more advantageous position to resume the deadly attack.
Here's an idea for thugs.
Don't attack cops. Because you may (rightly or wrong) get shot.
Is a taser a deadly weapon?
My understanding is that the taser is not a deadly weapon.
If so, then no deadly force was used by the suspect Walter Scott, under the conjectural situation described.
The suspect would have to threaten to grab the cop’s gun for there to be a threat of deadly force.
According to the cop, so far, the suspect only grabbed, or tried to grab, the cop’s taser.