If you have a robot you can send in with things, you have far more options than "send it in with a bomb". Tranquilizer darts? Chemical agents ("knockout gas")? Although the fact that they refer to it as their "bomb robot" suggests it's single purpose, which is idiotic - it's not clear if it's a bomb disposal robot they repurposed or some wacky military-industrial-complex contraption.

Either way, I can't think of any scenario where I'm comfortable with police having bombs.

Tear gas, flashbangs, water cannons, a nice safe armored vehicle... All appropriate (ish) police tools.

IEDs: rather less so.

That's kind of the point though. It's supposed to be difficult for police to kill people prior to their trials.

The point is, were those their only two choices? It sure sounded like the situation was in hand and they could have just waited.

I mean why send in anyone? He was trapped. Eventually he would have surrendered, or come out where the police could shoot him. Sending in a bomb seems excessive.

Robot. But they sent the robot in with a bomb instead of, say, literally anything else.