The most striking thing about this, besides the (morbid) milestone, is this statement:
> "Police regret this incident and would like to extend their condolences to the family of the man," Icelandic police chief Haraldur Johannessen told reporters.
Is it because the Icelandic state is more humane? Maybe, but more likely, it's because it was unprepared for such an incident. I can't imagine a standard police department issuing regret because it would be a statement that could easily be used against them in court (justified or not).
A couple of recent NY incidents come to mind:
- A couple months ago, the NYPD shot at a man they considered dangerous...not only did they miss the man (who they later tasered), they ended up shooting two innocent women, as it was Times Square. No statement of regret made: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/nyregion/firing-at-man-in-...
- A year ago, police shot and killed a man who had just gunned down another man near the Empire State building. They hit their target...and injured nine bystanders. A lawsuit was filed in that case: http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/22/justice/new-york-nypd-lawsuit/