Tommy Lee Jones killing the black escapee was an opportunistic racist killing

I can't shake this feeling. He saw a situation where he believed he could legally kill a black man, given the hostage situation, and he took it, despite the risk that he could have killed one of his partners.

The poor subordinate was obviously shaken by the murder and said he could have negotiated. He whispers in his ear "I...don't....negotiate."

The next scene is him on the phone, obviously taking some heat from a superior for his racist murder.

"What can I tell you Sir, he was a bad man, he was going to kill one of my kids. Well you can blame me, I'm the one who shot him."

Hangs up phone, walks into a meeting and refers to himself as 'the big dog' who 'is always right.'

I can only imagine how African Americans feel watching this scene, and how traumatizing it must be, especially for those who have seen "the law" imprison or kill their own loved ones.