Most of the time in cases like this, once I've looked into it I side with the police. They do an incredibly stressful job, in a country where near enough anyone can be armed with an assault rifle and most of the time their actions are justified, within the law and police protocol. That isn't to say cases of police mis-justice and brutality don't occur, they obviously do, but it seems that the most highlighted cases are ambiguous whereas more clear cut cases go by unnoticed by the media.
He was resisting arrest, which no one should do even in the event of wrongful arrest. Supposedly he went for the gun as well. Watched the video, but it is a massive brawl so it is hard to see what is going on exactly. I definitely heard tazers, and it appears the officers were also using batons to try subdue him. Six bullets sounds like over-kill. But when you are pumped full of adrenaline, you don't make the most logical decisions. A lot of Police Officers experience tunnel vision during violent encounters, they aren't aware of their wider surroundings and suffer from impaired decision making. I'm sure the LAPD will launch an internal investigation, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney will look into the case and charge any officers if they broke the law. It is sad someone had to die. I'd just like to add that if the State of California, or the Federal Government, would properly deal with the homeless problem, the associated social and health problems would disappear, and cops wouldn't have to be permanently stationed in large patrols on skid row.