Because
on the surface, the officers shot at an unarmed man when they mistook his wallet
for a firearm of some sorts.
BUT
LIFE IS never that simple, and I suspect that when this investigation is
complete, these officers are going to be found to have conducted themselves
professionally – although I’m sure in firehouses across the city, jokes about
donut-stuffed cops who can’t tell the difference between a wallet and a Tech 9
are being told.
The
incident in question, which is one of the most unusual police shootings I ever
have heard of, occurred in one of those “cop enclave” neighborhoods at the far
southwestern edge of the city – one of those places populated by police and
firefighters and other city workers who have to live within the municipal
boundaries even though they’d probably prefer to live just a few blocks further
south in a suburban community.
Which
is also one of those places where shootings just don’t happen – which also adds
to the “bizarre” factor of this whole incident. As if “cop shooting firefighter”
wasn’t weird enough.
For
it seems the wife of the firefighter had called 9-1-1 after he called her and
told her he “couldn’t take it anymore.” She took that as evidence he was
suicidal – hence, her call to emergency services to inform the police.
SO
WHEN POLICE encountered him in the area around 103rd Street and
Pulaski Road and they saw him with a black object in his hands while in a
crouching position, they presumed the worst.
They
defended themselves, according to the Fraternal Order of Police. Although I’m
sure certain others will not want to believe that.
None
of this particular commentary ought to be interpreted as trying to shift blame
on the firefighter – who according to news reports has been with the Chicago
Fire Department for about two full decades and was also trained as a paramedic.
It is more one of those tragic incidents in which there probably is no “good
guy” and trying to come up with blame is pointless.
Because
everybody manages to share some form of blame for what happened. At this point,
what we all ought to be focusing on is the physical well-being of the
firefighter – who on Friday remained in critical condition at Advocate Christ
Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
WE
SHOULD BE hoping that he manages to recover from his wounds; both the physical
ones he received Thursday and the emotional ones his wife thinks he has been
suffering from for some time.
And
as for the police involvement in this? If my attitude toward law enforcement
opening gunfire on an unarmed man (it seems the pistol he owns was at home, and
not on him) comes across as nonchalant, perhaps it is because of being a
reporter-type person for some 26 years.
I
have always thought of police officers as being people no better or smarter
than the rest of us – but who take on a risky job in which people can get
killed when they screw up. In short, their “bad days” are worse than those of
you or me. There’s also the fact that we give police deadly weapons because we
anticipate times when they will have to use them.
So
while I fully sympathize with an injured firefighter whose wounds have an
element of stupidity behind them, I’m also not going to be surprised if some
sort of official investigation ultimately determines this particular incident
to be “justified” use of force.
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