LogFAQs > #966340274

If the suspect was shooting from his vehicle, and the officers did not see him leave the firearm in the car, then they were under the assumption that they now had an armed and aggressive suspect on foot, in the dark. At this point, not only are the officers' lives potentially at risk, from their perception, but so are the lives of bystanders.

As far as the officers' reaction, it's hard to fully justify it even if I can understand it. 90 shots is a volley of gunfire. If 30 of those shots were stray, that's 30 chances for bystanders to be struck, which then defeats the purpose if the concern was bullets and bystanders.