NOTHING justifies death that can be avoided. But explaining it so nobody is unjustifiably accused of murder is a valid exercise.
Freddie was a drug dealer on parole. He was in an environment he shouldn't have been in. He had what could've been a dangerous weapon, certainly one that was unacceptable for someone on parole. Anyone running from the police takes that risk of being shot. Otherwise, none of us are safe anywhere.
How does what the mayor of Baltimore encouraged justify so many people's livelihoods being destroyed when THUGS were given a license to riot?
Have you yet heard any authority figure in Baltimore say that what the rioters and looters did was unacceptable and uncivilized? How do you justify their silence?
Just ask Walter Scott. But snapping the suspect's spine is a new one.