I don't know about a "shoot to kill order", imagine if you'd gone 3-4 days with no food or water, wouldn't you be tempted to help yourself to something out of a supermarket, I know I would, especially if I had children to feed. Marshall law yes, but only when the situ is somewhat under control, which right now it ain't.
There was nothing left to loot when the food was really needed.
If you had spent much time reading this forum over the last week, you'd know that what you just wrote is twaddle.
The only way to prevent the lower level of hell we've been reading about would have been to ruthlessly stop looting when it started. You can't stop it once it's out of control, and the looting soon turned to sniping, raping, arson and murder.
BTW, one of the first things the thugs went after were guns and ammo. Then liquor, then "pharmaceuticals" at drug stores. Then hospitals for drugs, and food... Nikes, TVs, jewelry. Sure, they took food, it takes fuel to go on rampages.
If honest citizenry needed food (which they did, primarily because of their own improvidence), SOME ONE or SOME ONES should have been in charge, taken food from stores in an orderly manner, and distributed it fairly. Instead of ruining it and hoarding it.
The local gov't screwed up so bad they are now complicit in the deaths of thousands.