I would add that early reports suggested multiple shooters and there were reports bombs had been planted across Dallas.
With those possibilities in mind, taking the shooter alive - if it was possible without exposing police to further danger - would have allowed for the opportunity of gaining vital data on co-conspirators and bomb locations.
I realise it now appears he acted alone and no bombs were planted. Was that known at the point he was killed?
TCMF-2L
Because sometimes the best solution is to toss in a grenade and move on, but I’m not a patient person.
Because it’s quite possible he could have picked off a few more cops while he was holed up. Why take the risk?
After he shot 12 cops and 2 civilians, murdering 5 of them. And he indicated he wasn’t finished. I’m sure the cops weren’t concerned with his color by then, just with neutralizing a threat before more people were injured. Remember, these cops were actually doing their job description, keeping the peace and protecting the public. Some of them were actually smiling and posing for pictures with the protestors. The cops in Dallas were the victims of an unprovoked attack and were in no way connected with the cases in Louisiana and Minnesota.
That’s the title of the new album by MC Fukdaboom, who grew up in da hood of Hollywood Hills and knows all about ghetto life on Mulholland Drive.
In answer to the question: Yes.
In answer to Czarcasm: Are you fucking serious?
Great username/post combo! 
Is he actually a threat to others?
Is he literally trapped, no way out, no convenient window to shoot from etc etc.
I.e. Zero threat to others, police or otherwise.
Then no it’s not justified, talk him down, wait him out. Spend days if that’s what it takes. Take him alive and put him on trial, that’s how things are supposed to work.
It’s Dallas, not Deptford Fun City.
If anyone seemed like they’d want to go out in a “blaze of glory”…this dude did. I bet if they’d started setting off gas, he’d come out shooting 360 degrees.
Plus, he did kill their brothers, for which the penalty will usually be more severe.
A point only briefly touched on…
Early reports indicated that it was assumed multiple shooters were involved. Police had to be concerned that setting up to wait him out might make them easy targets for any co-conspirators.
And then there is the issue that the shooter was reportedly making threats to the police and saying there were explosive devices in the area. Police had know way to know if the threatened explosive devices were real and if the subject had with him the means to detonate them.
Eliminating the threat in a timely manner was a good call.
:dubious: They all work in the same building. They are no more easy targets where they had him cornered than anywhere else cops congregate.
How does blowing him up change those facts? If anything, keeping him alive makes it easier to ascertain if that is true, and possibly easier to get to them before others got hurt.
A second ago you were talking about co-conspirators. What makes you think those co-conspirators wouldn’t have detonated them to spite the cops for killing their fellow scumbag? Or the explosives could have been on a timer or a deadman switch. All things it’s harder to figure out once the guy you are talking to is dead.
I think in this particular instance, I would give the cops a pass for killing a black man.
Actually, what I heard was they had the robot deliver a charge of C4, similar to what they might use to detonate a bomb or breach a door. So I assume the robot dropped the charge and rolled out before they exploded it.
Actually, I don’t recall any details being released about how he was “holed up”. He might well have had a “convenient window” from which to shoot. Do you have a link to where you got the information he was in fact “trapped, no way out, no convenient window to shoot from”? I’d like to read it. Where did you get that information?
BS. That’s a video clip from a movie or a music video or something that has absolutely zero to do with what happened in Dallas. Well, thanks for completely discrediting yourself and contributing nothing to either side of the discussion.
I have no such information.
Which is of course why I extremely clearly and unambiguosly made it plain I was talking about a scenario where he was in fact “trapped, no way out, no convenient window to shoot from” etc.
After which I eliminated any possible confusion with the summary.
I.e. Zero threat to others, police or otherwise.
No, not at all. If it’s a choice between sending in a robot and sending in a police officer (or a dog) I’d send in the robot.
I was trying to point out a problem if sending in robots with bombs becomes the default procedure and replaces the current procedure of a police sniper shooting dangerous suspects when lethal force is necessary.
I’d add the obvious “and has no hostages” but otherwise I agree with this. If you have a situation where a suspect is confined and can’t escape or hurt anyone, then the police should just wait him out.
What - so the gunman could shoot and kill multiple dogs?
Their reputation doesn’t matter. When the public needs a bomb squad to defuse a bomb, they’ll call in the bomb squad. They have no other choice. It doesn’t matter how good or bad their reputation is - a bomb situation requires the bomb squad, period.
Generally speaking, if you’re not sure what the situation is, that’s a good reason to slow things down not speed them up.