They were also shooting people walking down the street and those providing first aid to wounded.
hm... lets see... how many people just go wondering down the street during a riot?
face it, these protestors were destroying the city, burning down buildings (with people inside them). What would you want to police to do if YOU and YOUR family were in one of those buildings or if it were YOUR business they were burning down?
Personally I would have been on the rooftop taking out any protestor that got near my home of family.