When some hospitals try to airlift patients, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesan said, "there are people just taking potshots at police and at helicopters, telling them, `You better come get my family.'"

Now I am not agreeing with the looting and the shooting going on down in Katrina's wake, but the statement above at least put the shooting in some kind of perspective. This sounds more like a person in desperation -- less like a vigilante.