(emphasis changed)You shoot to stop the threat. If you tell a police officer, or a prosecuting attorney that your intent was to kill that person when you pulled the trigger, in many states, that will lead to a second degree murder charge...
You shoot to stop the threat. Several rounds into the center of mass of the person is prudent and reasonable. When the threat ceases to exist, then so does your use of deadly force.
A rose by any other name.
I'm not saying you incapacitate him and then shoot him again. My point is, shooting someone in the hand to knock away the gun is NOT shooting to eliminate the threat. Nor is that easily defensible in court. If a police officer or lawyer asks you what you were aiming for and you reply "his hand," then the question is raised whether you needed the weapon in the first place.
Likewise, when a police officer discharges his weapon, there is no intent to wound. There is an intent to, as you said, eliminate the threat - or, in hillbilly laymans terms, shoot to kill. I apologize for dumbing down my statement - but given the condition of American education, I hope you'll agree it's an understandable thing to do. And for the record, I have never met a single police officer or soldier who termed it "shoot to eliminate the thread" - they all use the more commonplace "shoot to kill."
I understand the need to be careful with wording, particularly in court or when giving a statement. However, this is neither the place nor the time to discuss this: it's a thread about a possible good Samaritan being shot, NOT a thread about proper CCW terminology.