Sniper got him...one shot to the head.
Nicely written article.
Listen to the video link posted up thread. It sounds more like a coupe de grace rather than returned fire from the police at the end of the firing. I do not believe that the Forbes article is entirely accurate. The police finished him off. He was likely still alive after he hit the ground. I have no problem with that fact in the least.
The press often softens things in relation to Muslim news, so as not to crank up the wasp nests of Islam overmuch. Merah claims martyrdom, when in fact he died like the dog he was, with a justified execution shot to the head while he was laying on the ground. This is the proper way to treat terrorists who shoot children as an accepted method of waging their war against the civilized.