I would respectfully disagree with this. This incident, along with many others are unfortunate and I think most people would hope for a different outcome that didn't involve anyone, regardless of race, losing their life. With that being said, there have been many law enforcement officers that have lost their own life because of hesitation in similar situations. I would agree that this situation could have been handled in a different manner that would have circumvented this tragedy from happening. Whether that be stopping further away and utilizing alternate forms of communication from a distance, or whatever else.
It could have been the officer involved made the wrong decision initially to pull up to the child in question, and contact him within a close proximity. The proximity to the individual could have heightened the threat in the officers view, therefore leading to a quick decision that ended up being horrific.
The biggest issue in law enforcement today is not racism on the individual officers part, but the lack of training on an institutional level. Many officers are placed in positions that they have not had training on for a long period of time, and are expected to make the right decision every time. If the right decision isn't made, then they will be chastised and demonized for making the wrong decision. In all actuality, they have been put in a position by not having the training necessary when dealing with the most important situation in regards to using deadly force.
In contrast, escalation of force and the rules of engagement are gone over every single day with our military. These things cover when it is okay and not okay to utilize deadly force. It is talked about during every warning order before combat patrols, before taking up post to protect the base, and before going out on convoys. I know for a fact that it is not covered to that extent in law enforcement where the lines are even more skewed than in combat, and repercussions are even more sever.
