I don't think that Gavin was saying the perp deserved sympathy - he was saying that it's a cause for concern when we as a society celebrate the fact that somebody was shot to death.
This whole conversation just highlight the fact that, as always, we're harping on about the symptom, and ignoring the problem.
Problem: Dude tries to hijack a car, possibly threatening the victim's life.
Symptom: Victim shoots the hijacker.
Now, if random dude pulled a gun and just shot someone for no apparent reason, that's no time to celebrate the deceased's demise. But should we feel any remorse for a hijacker getting shot? No. They
are the problem. Their persisitent killing of ordinary law-abiding citizens for their cars cause people to become trigger happy in situations like these.
As far as I'm concerend hijackers should be fair game. If enough of them get shot, no-questions-asked, criminals might start to get the message that it's just not worth it.
Cash-in-transit guys especially should be shot at sight. I have long maintained that legal gun owners who happen to winess one of these atrocities while stuck in traffic, should have the right, no, the obligation, to take out a CIT-robber if they have a clean shot. I mean come on, turning the van on it's side, and burning the security guards alive in it? An we're expected to respect these people's "right to dignity" and "right to life?"