You can probably relate to this. On a walk to the store or to grab lunch or just to clear your mind, you happen upon a disoriented, possibly intoxicated stranger, at turns muttering to himself and spitting unintelligible invective at you. It’s uncomfortable. It’s sad. It’s nerve-racking. You pick up your pace. A block later you’ve all but forgotten.

This happens every day in cities across the country. It is—or at least it seems—particularly common where poverty is concentrated and the poor lack access to mental health services. Something like this happened two days ago in St. Louis, Missouri—about four miles from Ferguson—to at least four different pedestrians, who happened to walk past 25-year-old Kajieme Powell moments after he allegedly shoplifted some donuts and energy drinks from a convenience store. The difference between their encounter and yours is that twenty seconds later Powell was dead. (Warning: The following video is disturbing.)

If you watch the video, there’s no denying that the introduction of police was a catalyst that rapidly turned a sad and touchy situation into a violent tragedy.

There’s also no denying that the store owner had every right to call the police.

And worst of all, there’s no denying that everything the St. Louis police did in the aftermath suggests they sincerely believe this was a justified, by-the-book killing. A witness filmed the encounter, but the police themselves released it to the public.