[user104658]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

"According to The Advocate, a warrant had been issued for Sterling’s arrest in 2015 after he failed to register as a sex offender for charges dating back to 2000. He also spent five years in prison beginning in 2009 for drug-related crimes.!"

SO the cops had every right to be very wary about this man and the fact he was armed

When does "wary" become "shoot him lots just incase"? The police are supposed to stay cool, rational and professional in these situations... That is what they are paid for and - importantly - that is what they signed up to be. We're not talking about a civilian protecting himself or his family... Being a police officer is a job that has certain inherent risks when it comes to doing it properly and those risk are accepted by implication when someone chooses the job. "Yeah I signed up but I'm going to be on the super-safe side and shoot first ask questions later just incase" is not a valid defense here.

Neither is "but he was a bad guy anyway", to be clear. Laying down justice is, as you are so fond of saying, up to a court of law. No one should be advocating judge dredd style trigger happy cops where anything goes so long as the victims are "baddies", it is a terrible idea.