Poor word choice

I listen to the news on the radio. I occasionally catch a bit on t.v. Once in a while I read a full story in the newspaper. In all of these media I have noticed the following: While being interviewed, police, victims, attorneys, and witnesses have referred to the alleged perpetrator as a "gentleman." Huh? The alleged attacker was a a gentleman? That's a little generous. I can think of a few other descriptors that are a bit more apropos. Maybe not polite, but is that really what we're going for here?