Reading the Commissioner's full statement, which I've edited down for brevity, I think he was very balanced:
"This is a tragedy for the family who have lost a loved one. It is also a tragedy for the homeowner forced to take the action he did. I am pleased we got the quickest possible decision for him in relation to his actions.
'It would have been preferable if the pavement had remained clear and the local area had not become the focus of disruption which then needed police resources to manage.
'The local authority are considering how the flowers and items are managed and we are inputting to that. As the situation stands, that is how this has to be dealt with as laying flowers is not a crime.
'We want those laying flowers to respect the local people and the impact on them. Those opposed to the flowers should act responsibly, respectfully and reasonably. As the Borough Commander said yesterday we don't want anyone – the local people or those vising the scene – to feel intimidated...."
This is a tragedy for HV's family. He was wrong, completely wrong, to break and enter a property, and to threaten an older couple in the process. He completely deserved to be caught and punished for that, and most likely for many other crimes that he hadn't been caught for, then go to prison for a very long time. He didn't expect or deserve to die. However, I do believe that if it had come down to a struggle between he and RO-B, he would not have hesitated to kill him first if he could have.
The family are clearly of a lifestyle that lives apart from the usual conventions of society, and their rule book is not the same as ours. But that doesn't mean it hurts less when their family dies. They should be allowed to mourn, of course. But not in a way that infringes the rights of other people to live their lives in safety.
This death is also tragic for RO-B. He didn't go to bed that night expecting that he would be a killer by morning. I don't think he is delighted that he killed HV. I doubt he's 'glad he got rid of some scum'. I expect he wishes that he'd been able to call 999 and that the police had caught HV, then he'd tucked his wife up and give back to bed. His life will never be the same again, and neither will his wife's. This will be the last thing he remembers, after 80 years on this Earth. That's tragic.
So, whilst it's sensational news for a while, and the hype is great for selling papers and causing an outcry, it's a new reality for a few, and for those who have to live there. Those vigilantes won't have the stamina to see this mess through, the police won't even begin, and all that leaves is some scared residents and some very powerful travellers 