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by callahad 3633 days ago
> If this is what it took to end the suspect's life, thereby preventing further harm

Your reasoning is based on a premise that hasn't been established: that killing the suspect was necessary to prevent further harm. It seems like most of the discussion here is questioning that point: if the suspect had been located and surrounded, was there a credible threat of further harm? If there was time to repurpose the bomb-dispoal bot, were there not also non-lethal ways to apprehend the suspect?

2 comments

> Your reasoning is based on a premise that hasn't been established

The intention to commit further harm is evident from statements by the accused and the vile nature of the crimes. Given the potential for harm, that the negotiations failed, and threats of explosives this was the safest course of action. Whether or not the suspect was surrounded has little bearing on if the threat was reduced or increased.

> If there was time to repurpose the bomb-dispoal bot, were there not also non-lethal ways to apprehend the suspect?

That is a flawed argument in that it guesses a quantity of time to modify a robot and time to neutralize an armed suspect are equivalent. It is also flawed in that it presumes there is a choice to be made. Another flaw is that doesn't account for the fact that the robot might already have been modified earlier in case negotiations failed, and if so then the robot is already modified and immediately ready while the suspect isn't.

He was still shooting at police officers and their attempts at non-lethal measures such as flashbangs were not working.
Did they attempt flash bangs? I haven't heard that?