"Go ahead punk, place your bet" |
Interesting juxtaposition when the BBC reporter outside the shop said, "Of course there was no way the customers could have known the `gun` was just a replica". Yes mate, thats correct, and neither could the police, even firearms specialists, if they'd perceived their lives were at risk and chose to shoot him. I suppose the unarmed punters hadn't that option and bravely rushed him (pending confirmation).
The other debate that will be glossed over is the one where if the ARV wasn't the first on scene and it was a normal police patrol, they would not have access to lethal force, in which case they would be in the same boat as the customers, i.e. lucky he hadn't acquired a real one. And even with plucky folks ready to lend a hand, you don't know if they will and they often stand back once the police arrive.
Moral? Never come between an Englishman (or several of them) and their £20 each way bet on the 2.30 at Kempton Park.
PS: and note the headline from the above hyperlink, "Gunman" dies, not "unarmed man`. One headline for the public and one for the police? QED?