The police should have the equipment and training they need to put down violent rioters.
That said, going straight to tear gas and rubber bullets may have been more than a bit over the top, although none of us really know how dangerous the crowds were or were not to the general public as well as public and private property.
However, when people use a tragedy such as this to loot, destroy public and private property and endanger others lives, the police have a duty to not only respond but to do so in a way that reduces the amount of damage done to public and private property, protect the lives and safety of the general public and to reduce the amount of time that such violence lasts.
Using tragedies such as the horrific sounding shooting of this young man as an excuse to be uncivilized and violent is unsupportable on any level. Anyone that says otherwise - that the rioters were justified in their violent actions - is stating that they are in favor of anarchy and the justification of unchecked violence against society as a whole.
It doesn't matter whether it is the police or the violent protestors, neither are justified in using violence against peaceful people or their property.
Peaceful protests are a Constitutional First Amendment Right here in the US. Violence is not, has never been, and never should be considered a right, justified or accepted by anyone.
Using the military (National Guard or otherwise as was stated previously), should never be an option to use against citizens of this country... NEVER!!! With the sole exception of a full insurrection accompanied by home grown terrorism - wherein those that would be doing so would have relinquished their citizenship and rights.
If this was proposed when I was serving, I would have refused to comply - taking the Court Martial in lieu of taking up arms against my fellow citizens, or turning around and putting me between the military forces and the citizens. Even if those citizens are violent protestors as these are. Again, the military should never be used. That is what the civilian police are for, not the military.
And... to say that the response was due to the race of the protestors is just feeding the flames with lies for political purposes or to get better ratings if they are in the media. The same types of tactics and equipment (and types of police forces) are deployed and used in many cities regardless of the racial component of the group causing mayhem. Go to any college town after they either win or loose a national championship in almost any major sport and you'll see the same types of equipment, tactics and police forces staged just outside the area. If the people get out of hand, start breaking store windows, burning cars in the street and so on, then you will see the tear gas being fired into the crowd, rubber bullets, riot lines of highly equipped officers advancing on the crowd to regain order and if any of the people attack an officer by throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails or using other weapons, then you will also see busted heads and other injuries in the ranks of the protestors, regardless of race.
I just don't understand how any group of people can think that destroying public and private property as well as attacking others is in any way a reasonable form of protest, in so much that they feel that they will garner any sympathy from me or most others when the police respond in force against their violence.
Let the system work. This officer will be investigated and based solely on the limited amount of information we have so far, he will be more than likely be charged and then convicted (unless there is some evidence not made public that justifies his actions - which I doubt exists).
Let the system work. Anarchy and violence is not the answer.