Let me ask you, if a person is going to carry a gun so that it's readily available if needed for self-defense, but difficult for someone else to use offensively, do you think carrying it behind you at the small of your back is optimal, or are there other types of holster both easier for you to reach and harder for someone else to access?
Well for one thing i wouldnt carry it in the small of my back i would carry it as a sidearm in a holster and gunbelt just as i have for some 30 years now
My freinds and i for years have carried it that way into every establishment that allowed it before intrusive gun laws took effect in Ohio it was nothing to walk into a sporting goods store and buy ammo with my gun strapped to my side or a restaraunt to have a meal and when the police talked to you it was in front of you to your face not in a paniced manner as if you were a criminal but a citizen !
So to answer your question NO i dont think it was wise to carry it in the small of his back but the police should have approached him much more differently because most criminals are not going to brandish a weapon holstered or not untill they are ready to break the law !
Most people that carry have been through several holsters and methods until they find one that works the best and is most comfortable for them.