May 22 2009
Police Officer Fatally Shoots a Man Holding a Knife
I thought I was done tonight, but I took one more look at the Indianapolis Star.
A police officer in Indianapolis, Indiana responded to a complaint about a man ”acting erratically.” When the officer arrived, the man was waving a machete (large knife). So, the officer shot the man in the head.
That’s what happened, here’s my thoughts on it:
It’s obvious the man was having some form of mental breakdown. That seems to be happening a lot these days. It’s also obvious the officer was a good shot to be able to hit the man in the head. Police officers are trained to be able to shoot that well. They are also trained to make rational decisions in difficult situations and to use the least amount of force necessary.
That being said, the officer had other options. He could have shot the hand holding the machete causing the machete to fall to the ground. If the officer wasn’t confident enough to actually hit the man’s hand, he could have shot him in the shoulder. The man’s arm would have no longer been able to move. A bullet to the knee would have prevented the man from coming toward anyone. That’s three other options to eliminate the threat without killing the man.
There was a man in Evansville not too long ago that tried to rob a gas station with a machete. The clerk fought him off with a step stool and managed to get the machete out of the assailant’s hands sustaining only minor cuts. Maybe this officer should take lessons from that guy.
Honestly, I hope the dead man’s family files a wrongful death suit against the officer and the Indianapolis Police Department. Maybe that would be a wake up call to all the cowboy cops out there. This man’s death was not necessary.
