Here are my thoughts about what I've read so far. . .
All animals should be handled with caution, no matter how small or domesticated, or where they are on the "food chain". When I was part of a volunteer program at an animal shelter, we went through a course on handling the animals. ALL of the animals. Even the hissing cockroaches. One rule that was repeated during the handling sessions/lessons was "do not put any of the animals near your face or neck. If it has a mouth, it can bite, and we don't want anyone, animal or human, getting injured." Any animal has the ability to inflict some sort of harm on a person, and this needs to be remembered. Like a few of the replies already mentioned, why is it that dog bites are handled so severly? Why not bites from parrots, cats, turtles? I remember watching a plastic surgery show, and a ferret attempted to eat a baby's face. A FERRET. Now, I don't remember what they said happened to the ferret, but if that had been a dog, it would have been killed asap.
I don't think the situation was handled the best that it could have been. I could understand if the dog was tearing into the guys throat, but aparently that didn't happen. Yes, dogs that show any sign of agression (if that's what this even was) should be closly monitored and evaluated, but not shot on the spot in front of other people--did I read that there were KIDS in the area???? Can you imagine how traumatizing that had to be for any of them that witnessed that???
And what's with the owner just being okay with it? From the information I've recieved, that isn't very right. . . Granted, I haven't read the story, and am taking what's been said on this thread as what happened, but still, an owner just being okay with a stranger shooting their dog without warning (without the shooter warning) is. . . not right.