What gets me is ChrisL believes she proposed a solution to stop events like the one in the OP. But she obviously doesn't know what a solution is.
A solution is the solving of a problem and she readily admits it will not be 100 percent effective so therefore it is not a solution because it solves nothing. Events such as th eone illustrated in the OP will continue to happen.
My answer is there is no solution when dealing with irrational people.
The officer was doing his job, whether you agree with the law or not is irrelevant, he had a job to do. He was attacked, he had literally a split second to react, He relied on his years of service and training to protect himself. Unfortunately it resulted in the death of the young man. Want to blame someone? Blame the young man that attacked the cop.
This weekend on George Stephanopolis they did a story on some inner city kids who were befriended by the cops and shown what it is like when you pull someone over. All the kids had a new found respect and understanding of how scary it is to pull someone over, and then have that person start fighting you or resisting arrest. Put your hands behind your head, get on the ground, do whatever the cops tell you to do.
If you are a little 5 foot woman cop, you should be able to arrest any 6 foot monster size man no problem. If not, get shot.