A comment someone wrote at the New York Times. Well done!

Mr. Blake had an active felony arrest warrant. Officers knew about that warrant and were trying to arrest Mr. Blake. Mr. Blake was, at that point, a fleeing felon, actively resisting arrest when the video begins. There was much interaction and events before the video begins. It is unclear why officers were there to begin with. Some media accounts say they were there for “a domestic disturbance” while others say Mr. Blake was breaking up a fight between two women. Its quite possible, but so far unestablished, that police were there to investigate a domestic violence incident involving Mr. Blake. What is established is that Mr. Blake had a lengthy criminal history including allegations of domestic violence, sexual assault, gun assault, and assaulting a police officer. These allegations -including most importantly the gun assault allegation - were known by all the officers at least as soon as they arrived at the scene and identified Mr. Blake (police immediately get a criminal background readout, warrant, and probation status from dispatch after giving the person’s info). In this context - a fleeing felon previously convicted of gun assault and assaulting a police officer - the officer saw that the suspect was reaching into the car for something. If that “something” was a gun, the officer would be dead if he waited to see the metal of the gun. Rather he acted in self-defense given the imminent threat of deadly force posed by Mr. Blake. This is why buildings were burned?