It is important to note that states like MA and RI do not have stand your ground laws, and they have more restrictive firearm laws. They also have higher crime rates than say states like ME, VT, and NH, which have stand your ground laws of one sort or another, and less restrictive firearm laws.
It is also important to note that all public law enforcement personnel, sworn or unsworn, are defined as civilians, just as all private citizens are. In fact, the only non-civilians in our constitutional republic are full time military personnel. However, sworn public law enforcement personnel are allowed to use one level higher force in any situation they may find themselves in while performing their duties as public law enforcement officers, unlike private citizens, which are permitted to use only equivalent levels of force. There is however the concept of disparity of force. If for example, an unarmed 6'5" tall man weighing 300 lbs. assaults an armed woman that is 5'2" tall and weighs 99 lbs., the woman in this scenario is allowed to use deadly force to protect herself. Another example is if an unarmed 10th dan, black belt, martial artist assaults the average sized man on the street that is armed, this average sized man can use deadly force to protect himself. If a 20 year old unarmed man assaults an armed elderly person, the armed elderly person is allowed to use deadly force. These are typical scenarios that involve disparity of force issues.
If the thief in the case in question had stolen a pair of gloves instead of a hatchet, and the store owner had still shot him dead, then the store owner would have exceeded the use of equivalent force level, as the thief would have been considered unarmed.
This discussion is an example of why shooting incidents need to be investigated by impartial individuals. If after an impartial investigation is performed it is determined by applying statutory, common law, and regulatory standards that there is prima facie evidence to warrant a trial in this particular shooting incident, then this person should be tried in front of an impartial jury made up of people that he considers his peers. Such a trial should be in front of an impartial judge that knows the law in the greatest detail.
Again, if you don't wish to be shot, don't rob, assault, commit battery on, insult, disrespect, etc. other law abiding citizens. Obey the basic laws and common etiquette and practices of civilized society. If you behave like a mad dog instead of like a civilized man, expect to eventually be injured or killed by someone that is not going to run away.
One final comment about the thief in this case. Aside from the fact that he was a convicted felon, and a homeless person, is that he could have obtained a variety of social services, food stamps, homeless person shelter, etc., etc. if he so desired. He did not have to resort to stealing anything from anyone. The majority of people that find themselves homeless for one reason or another that do not seek out and take advantage of the available homeless shelters, and other social services is because they do not want to follow the rules and regulations that go with these social services. For example, if you are living in a homeless shelter you are not permitted to abuse alcohol and drugs, you are also not permitted to rape, assault, commit battery on other people, etc. People that refuse these social services are generally intent on continuing their unlawful and socially unacceptable behavior. This particular convicted felon did not need to steal a hatchet from the local army navy store in order to survive as a homeless person. Also, there are basic jobs available to pretty much anyone that can breath on a mirror to prove they are alive. While working at a MacDonalds cleaning out the garbage may not be my idea of the ideal career move, I would take such a job to have money in my pocket while I was living out of a homeless shelter, if I all of a sudden became a homeless person. I would not be robbing the local army navy store to survive to support a drug habit, or obtain a weapon in the form of a hatchet for criminal purposes, etc. There are homeless people that "bootstrap" themselves back into society, and there are convicted felons that reform and go on to become useful members of society. Not too long ago, one of the former presidents of Smith and Wesson had been found to have been convicted of I believe armed bank robbery in his younger days. He obviously reformed and went on to be the president of a major internationally known firearms manufacturer. Although, unfortunately for him, our current laws concerning licensed firearm manufacturers do not permit convicted armed robbers to work in the position of president. He resigned his position once he was outed as a former convicted bank robber felon.