Police dont commit murder (according to officials)

No one... this is news and important if your in the UK

this happens way to often here in the USA. It's like the cops are a criminal gang wearing uniforms.

Why did he have a starter's pistol converted to fire real ammo instead of blanks, and why was it in a sock?

Hmmmm...

Did the man killed actually have a weapon or not? If this was a situation in which the firearm was planted, then the police are clearly at fault.

If you carry a weapon, you mark yourself as being a warrior and ready for a fight. If others act first, well, who can blame them?

The mother asked; why didn't the police just shoot him in the foot instead of the chest...

That one is fairly simple: A shot to the chest prevents the other person from shooting you far more often.

The head would be better, but most police aren't that well trained. They could hit a still target, while relaxed in the head, but under pressure it's a lot harder to manage.

In my mind, it really comes down to if the man had a gun or not at the time and if it was known by the police.

It sounds fishy to me, but no evidence was really given as to that in the article.