Baldrick

Sorry rainheart, I see where you are coming from, but I think at the time of the incident it was just that black and white. After the fact, it is very easy to rationalize and try to think about other ways of handling the situation, each of them very valid. But put yourself in the shoes of the hostage, the police officers, or the innocent bystanders he was shooting into just a few minutes ago - and it was black and white. He needed to be stopped, and stopped before he killed someone. He had already proven that he intended to do so. Why he was shooting and waving a gun means nothing in this case, the fact that he was doing so is what needs to be reacted to at that time.

As for the thought "the act of taking a hostage shouldn't merit you death.". I agree it doesn't merit you death, but if that's the safest and quickest result in stopping someone from injuring or killing me, my family, or any human on this planet, then so be it. Everyone in that situation - the criminal, the wife, the hostage, the police, and the bystanders - all have "rights" that need to be addressed. However, of everyone in this scenario, the criminal's needs and safety should be put at the bottom of the list.

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