I am troubled by those who find cause to support Christopher Dorner, the ex-cop whose rampage through Los Angeles apparently left four people dead. Whatever one might conclude of his public claims, there is no moral justification for his actions.

I am also troubled, perhaps equally so, by the lawless and incompetent manner in which he was pursued by police. As I previously noted, lives were put at risk by officers who recklessly unloaded with deadly weapons on innocents who they never even attempted to identify. The officers involved in these shootings should be prosecuted for no less than reckless endangerment, if not attempted murder, and failing to do so (which I fully expect based on historical precedent) would be a miscarriage of justice.

But what about Dorner himself? He will not get his day in court to be tried by a jury of his peers. Nor will he be able exercise his right to face his accusers. He will do none of these things because he is dead at the hands of the very people he publicly accused of malice and criminal behavior. Perhaps his death in the log cabin was entirely of his own making, and that he simply would not have surrendered himself alive under any circumstance. But I can’t help but wonder, having told myself before he was found that there was no way in hell the police were ever going to take him in alive, whether or not he was summarily executed. Now, a recording purported to be between officers suggesting deliberate intent to burn him alive has surfaced, and seems completely damning if confirmed as authentic.

Moving beyond Dorner and the specifics of his firing/crime spree/death, there is a serious need for discussion about the conduct and role of police in today’s society. More and more it seems that law enforcement has a blatant disregard for the most basic rule of law, takes an entirely antagonistic view toward civilians, and operates without even the pretense of accountability. This has simply got to change.

Maggie Carranza and her 71-year-old mother Emma Hernandez were driving through a neighborhood delivering newspapers when two deranged gunmen unloaded on their truck. The women only sustained non-life threatening injuries thanks to the horrible aim of the nutjobs, whose bullets peppered houses and vehicles throughout the neighborhood.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the berserk shooters were members of the LAPD:

Residents waking up to the sound of gunfire Thursday say it sounded like a war zone. A number of surrounding vehicles were struck by gunfire in the shooting.

…Friday neighbors were finding bullet holes on cars and on their walls.

“It was close. It sounded terrible. I thought bullets came through into our front room,” said Torrance resident Richard Goo.

Thursday LAPD officers shot numerous rounds into a pickup truck early in the morning. The people inside however were two women delivering newspapers. Emma Hernandez, 71, was shot in the back. Her daughter, 47-year-old Maggie Carranza, was hit in the hand. They both survived.

“They were not the same sex, race, height, weight — anything. They don’t remotely match,” said Christopher Driscoll, attorney for the two women. “The vehicle doesn’t even match. And with that information they thought it was sufficient to open fire on the vehicle, Bonnie-and-Clyde-style.”

Nor were these the only innocent victims in the LAPD’s frantic, uncontrolled rampage through the city in search of murderous ex-cop Christopher Dorner:

Just a block away, Torrance Police officers shot at David Perdue in his pickup truck because it also resembled Dorner’s vehicle. Perdue’s attorney, Todd Thibodo says Perdue was hurt when an officer rammed the truck and opened fire.

“I think he’s the victim of overly fearful and overly aggressive police officers,” said Thibodo.

Cops get particularly worked up when fellow officers or their families are being targeted. I get it; It’s a perfectly natural mentality to protect ones own (not that they can be arsed to protect anyone else). But these are supposed to be trained professionals, and they are acting with all the forethought and deliberation of a small-time street corner gang.

If those officers aren’t charged with attempted murder, it will be a significant injustice.