Too Quick to Shoot?

In less than 4 months, in our area, there have been a number of fatal shootings, at the hands of Police Officers.  What can we learn from these tragic incidents?

In Centralia, Police confronted a man who was relieving himself in an alley behind a business; the man came at the Police with a knife and was killed.  Also in Centralia, a man was contacted by Police for stealing a burrito from a convenience store.  While attempting to arrest the suspect, he pulled a gun from his pocket and the Officer shot him; the man died at the scene.  In Seattle, a man refusing to pay his fare on the ‘light rail train’ was contacted by a Deputy Sheriff.  Rather than accept a citation for not paying the fare, the suspect pulled a pistol; the Deputy shot fatally wounding the suspect.  This morning, Police chased a stolen truck in Seattle.  The suspect eventually ran from the officers.  While attempting to hide behind a building, the suspect appeared with a pistol pointed at the Officers and was shot and died at the scene.

What is the common denominator in all of these cases?  Some would say it is the Police being too quick to use lethal force; death for peeing in an alley, stealing a burrito, cheating on train fare or even stealing a truck, seem pretty minor crimes when compared to crimes that can invoke the ‘death penalty’ in a Court of Law.  Let’s see; burritos cost about $2.50, train fare maybe $1.50, a truck…..sure that’s expensive and peeing in a dark alley – well there is the cost of cleaning it up; but the death penalty?

Actually the common denominator is not the ‘simple crime’ or even the quick response of the Police; it is the fact that all of the suspects attempted in some way to fatally harm the officers; one with a knife and 3 WITH PISTOLS!!!!!  What on earth would you expect a Police Officer to do?

While I admit and understand that in the wake of several incidents that resulted in the death of Police Officers here in the Northwest, Officers are on ‘high alert’.  But at the same time I wonder if lethal force is always called for.  But more important is; I wonder why people think that confronting a Police Officer with a gun or a knife is something that would resolve the matter in their favor.  The only conclusion I can make is that these suspects were not in their right minds.

To The Friends of the guy with the knife: Don’t take a knife to a gun fight!

To the Friends of the guys that pulled guns: don’t point guns at Police Officers!

To those who make our laws: So much for the effectiveness of ‘background checks’!