there is something so fucking brutal about ronald's death. he's trying to solve a problem for which law enforcement is totally (and often willfully) ignoring. but that means ronald is seen as a dangerous problem who can be summarily executed for the sole crime of trying to save lives.
and dean is in the same situation. 2.07 reinforces he's facing the death penalty if he's ever arrested again. in this episode, henricsen says, "It's my job to bring you in. Alive's a bonus but not necessary." dean's spent his whole life risking his safety and his life trying to save people and yet...
dean watches the shot pierce through ronald's back. maybe as it exits his torso, it makes a little, brittle splash in the cold marble of the bank floor. dean watches ronald crumple to his knees as blood flows from his chest and his mouth. ronald lies motionless and gone. dean is pinned behind a table by fear and grief and the time it takes to process what happened. sam is already on the move, "Here. Take care of the guard. I'm going after the shifter."
dean slinks along behind the tables, being very cautious to stay out of the sniper's lines of sight. it could so easily have been him lying dead on the floor. and if he's not desperately careful, it will be.