In the USA, had the same thing happened, first the local politicians would promptly dump all of the blame on the police department, then the lawyers would pile up at the door of the deceased's family and the news media would smear the cops as ill trained, racist, knuckle dragging morons and scream about the potential danger of hitting others.

Following that, there would be a lurid investigation with all involved officers placed on suspension with pay, probably a trial and, even if proven innocent, each would face civil lawsuits of millions and the police department itself would face more lawsuits.

By then, police officers all over would be hesitant to shoot and some nutcase would blow the krap out of about 100 people and AGAIN the cops would be blamed.

Hey. We have religious nuts running around who believe that getting killed in a Holy War sends them right to heaven with honors. Having been taught terrorist actions, generated first in France years ago, then honed in Vietnam by the Vietcong and pretty well practiced to perfection in Israel and Ireland, they know how to do the maximum damage with minimum expense and effort.

We're under attack. We know what the attackers look like. Very few are milk white with blond hair or jet black with curly hair. You should know the risks if you fit into the terrorist profile and NOT do something stupid like run in front of the cops -- ESPECIALLY a day or so after someone similar blew the krap out of a bunch of people.

In protecting the greater of the population, some innocents are bound to fall. In war, innocents often die. The terrorists don't care if the folks they kill happen to be Muslim like themselves or women and children. They don't care if they get killed themselves.

It used to be in the US that if a cop told you to stop when fleeing, you'd better do so or get shot. Then the lawyers got involved and now a criminal can run like heck knowing that, unless he's waving an obvious weapon about, the cops can't shoot him. Cops in the 30s and 40s carried machine guns (but then, after WW2, for a time, the maker pushed them on the public so even farmers owned them) until lawyers got involved again.

Then, for several decades, the cops were required to carry police 38 specials, while the crooks armed themselves with everything from .45s to Tech 9s and later, modified assault rifles. It took a lot of cops getting killed before upgrades were allowed.

For some of the London Bobbies to carry guns means their nation is seriously in danger.

What some of you fail to grasp -- and the news media tends to downplay or ignore -- is that terrorists are detonating bombs all over the globe.

So, what should we do? Have our cops stop and politely ask a suspect if he's carrying enough explosives to level a city block while making sure not to violate his rights and (heaven forbid) don't racially profile him?

Doing that will leave a whole lot of craters scattered about the land.

/brother of a cop.

I don't like it that an innocent man was shot any more than anyone else here, but the fact is that if he had cooperated and responded to police challenges, he would not have got shot. Even here in the U.S. where police aren't allowed to shoot a fleeing suspect, you just don't run from the police, period.

How many times does it need to be repeated before you farking IDIOTS understand?

HE WASN'T RUNNING FROM THE POLICE! HE WAS SITTING CALMLY ON A FARKING TRAIN! THEY HELD HIM IN HIS SEAT AND SHOT HIM SEVEN TIMES IN THE HEAD! HE COULDN'T "COOPERATE" WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO "COOPERATE"!

The police farked this situation up from the start and decided to LIE to the press to cover their asses.

Farking thick-skulled apologists.