Foregone conclusion?

There could really have only been one outcome of the Raoul Moat affair, couldn't there? What was the alternative - a life in prison, because that was what awaited him if he were taken alive? Police talked about "negotiating" with him, but in order to negotiate you have to be in a position to offer something - and what could they have possibly offered him that might have persuaded him to give himself up? It's a tragic story, and I'm sure there are other aspects to be explored - not least that far from being the "loner" he was portrayed as, it appears there were people helping him - but there was only ever one way it was going to end.