What do you mean from that distance? By the time he shot her they were <5 feet apart.
You're right, it doesn't change the fact that the cop completely failed at controlling the situation and she is now dead because of that, but it muddy's the water and creates conversations that don't need to be had (like this).
I don't know why you seem to think that getting boiling water thrown at you would be like taking a hot shower, but that could seriously mess someone up for life.
Evolution isn't some sentient force striving for perfection. There is a lot of retarded stuff that we have evolution to thank for. This could just be a side effect of some other trait that normally helps the fish survive. Plus, earthquakes don't happen often enough to affect evolution in the long run.