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I haven't watched a video of it, but if the transcript in the news article that Marv posted is correct, there is no explanation, that I can think of, for firing the gun. Whether the police officer said "Get up", or choked on his first word and (like FatFreeGoodness proposed) said “don’t GET UP!!”, the airman clarifies the police officer's instructions. The article says that the airman replied "I'm going to get up, all right?" and THEN started to get up. Whether the police officer choked on his words or not in the stressful situation, he's aware that he could have been misheard. If the airman has the foresight to clarify the policeman's command before complying, to avoid ambiguity, the police officer should take the opportunity to realize that he has been misinterpreted.
I doubt the police officer is an evil person, I think he must have succumbed to anxiety or pressure and lost control of himself. This is a terrible, terrible situation either way. I hope that full compensatory action is taken on behalf of the injured airman, and that the policeman is properly punished. In my uninformed opinion, attempted murder would be extreme because, like I said, I doubt the police officer had truly evil intentions. However, I think that he should certainly be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, conduct unbecoming... etc. etc. (don't know all the fancy legal phrases).
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