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My only question is why, before all facts, including investigations are in, people are concluding that the purpose was to kill him.

The strategy was to encourage him to draw his weapon. Why would you want to do that unless your wanted to kill him?

But, yes, I can think of scenarios set up like that....and although the guy drawing a weapon is a possibility, it's also not the only possibility.

As he seemed to be expecting an attack and wasn't all that stupid, the likely response to such a ploy would have been to ignore it. For all we know, he did.

You want to arrest a guy...any guy. He has repeatedly refused to cooperate. You still have the arrest warrant that needs to be done. How do you do it? The warrant being served was for threatening a neighbor with a gun. That sets the stage for law enforcement to be wary of the suspect. Add to that his reportedly saying on his show "If they ever come to get my guns, I'll be waiting for them" (or something to that effect). Don't even think about his anti-government slant.

Might be. I surely don't know.

So I guess I'm answering your question with a question.....with a guy (any guy, not just Mr. Cooper) resisting arrest on a lawful warrant.....what method would you recommend that is less risky? Should they have forced the issue at his house, with family around? If he is in town daily, getting him there might be an option. I got the impression that he didn't travel into town regularly, especially when he knew warrants were out for him. Is there anyway in which this could have turned into an acceptable law enforcement maneuver, given what we know?

There is a similar case in Texas where a man who refused to get a driver's license and allegedly (he denies it) pulled a gun on a deputy retired to his ranch with his wife, children and grandchildren. Now I suppose the sheriff's office could have tried a similar ploy and shot the fellow; but instead, the sherrif decided it wasn't worth it especially with the grandchildren around. So he left him alone for over a year now, basically under house arrest until he decides he no longer wants to be under house arrest. Keeping him isolated removes all danger to the neighbor and law enforcement.

The strategy was to encourage him to draw his weapon. Why would you want to do that unless your wanted to kill him?

I guess this is a point that we shall just differ over. Although Cooper drawing a weapon was a possible and foreseeable (although not necessarily saying probable) possibility, I don't know as though it's possible for any of us outside those involved to state authoritatively what the intent was behind the tactic. As I mentioned, there are other possible outcomes, and there is a semi-reasonable, at least, rationale behind the tactic.

There is a similar case in Texas where a man who refused to get a driver's license and allegedly (he denies it) pulled a gun on a deputy retired to his ranch with his wife, children and grandchildren. Now I suppose the sheriff's office could have tried a similar ploy and shot the fellow; but instead, the sherrif decided it wasn't worth it especially with the grandchildren around. So he left him alone for over a year now, basically under house arrest until he decides he no longer wants to be under house arrest. Keeping him isolated removes all danger to the neighbor and law enforcement.

I think I understand the point you are trying to make. But this tactic, as well as the one you mentioned above, both removed the suspect from others (wife, children, grand-children, etc.) prior to trying to apprehend him.

Do we selectively now decide which crimes we are going to prosecute based on how potentially violent the suspect is? Where do we draw the line in terms of what crimes we actively try to apprehend the suspect, and which ones we just forget about, and wait for the suspect to drop into our lap?

BTW, I'm not trying to say that law enforcement did everything the best way possible. Merely trying to say that I don't know, with the facts I have available to me now, that law enforcement went into this apprehension with the sole goal of killing the man, as it appears you are implying.