Thank you for your reply MC.  I care nothing for this dude as an individual since I do not know him.  I have concern for him as a fellow human.   I believe we must respect human life profoundly and destroy it only when clearly necessary.  The policies that lead to the standoffs are often not based on rational analyses of probable threat, but rather on the very American attitude that killing those who do not comply is okay.  I do not impugn the opinion of the "girlfriend" personally, I do not know her.  However, since I do not know her, I have no reason to believe her over her boyfriend.   A reasonable person should question which of two witnesses is telling the truth.

I believe that police and prosecution policies teach citizens how to resolve conflict.  When compliance trumps life in police action, when police or prosecutors do not respect all persons, citizens cannot help but conclude that lack of respect and use of force is okay in resolving their own issues.