And no one said it was.
Can any good come out of this tragedy? I think so.
Are you familiar with the Ayoob Shootout of 1986? (
link ) Two FBI agents died and 7 others were wounded, in a fire fight against two bank robbers. The result of that tragedy, was to review what went wrong, and how they could change things should they face a similar situation in the future. The resulting training tape is worth watching.
In this instance, we have seven officers who fired on two innocent paper carriers... with bullets hitting neighborhood homes and parked cars...
Imnsho, to simplify it to, "
well, they just made a mi
stake" would be, not only short-sightedly stupid but negligent on their part. Otoh, to examine the incident as, not in faults, rather, psychological, emotional, and tactical dynamics, allows them to objectively consider different potential solutions for future similar situations.
By examining dynamics that led up to this, including the recently shot officers, the manifesto targeting the family these officers were guarding, lighting conditions, and, importantly, the emotional and psychological dynamics, LE may be able to arrive at modified tactics that will keep their officers safe, while also keeping the public safe.
As for the race issues raised in Dorner's manifesto? Regardless of what people think, the race bit is a very real problem within our society. And, arguably, moreso, within the LAPD.
Does this mean that I think dorner was justified for his choices to murder innocents? Of course not. I simply do not see people as only evil or only good. Good people do evil things. Evil people do good things. And all shades of gray between. I condemn Dorner's evil choices. I do not condemn Dorner as a human being.
Otherwise put? Imho, Dorner is no Joseph Duncan.