I was puzzled a couple of years ago when a gangbanger in N.E. D.C. walked up to a cop and shot him dead, and then the judge at his trial called him a "coward" too. What he did may have been dumb, it may have been highly immoral, but one thing I think he did show was guts.
What is it with this term "coward"?
My guess is that it's a ploy to draw him/them out. The worst thing now would be if they disappear from the radar screen and go into hiding with megabucks of increased local/fed activity.
Also, as someone mentioned above, it might deter copycats.
In the case of the sniper, I think its because the shooter stays hidden, a good distance away from the victim. The victim doesn't get to see their assassin, and the assassin is shooting unarmed people.
COWARD POS.