Actually, Miami Vice had a similar scene and it's been debated if the studio had them include the gun after the fact. Sonny would've shot the guy regardless...
Miami Vice "Deliver Us From Evil" (BEST ENDING) April 29, 1988. - YouTube
Miami Vice "Deliver Us From Evil" (BEST ENDING) April 29, 1988. - YouTube
I've seen this episode many times, including when it was first broadcast and it still holds its own and has to be up there as one of the best scenes in the whole series and one of the best of any series. As far as I can recall, no TV show had ever had one of the leads do something like this, even if it was well deserved.