Off-Duty Officer Is Fatally Shot by Police in Harlem
As terrible as the circumstances are, I was a bit happy to see this headline on the New York Times site. Not because I’m happy when a cop dies, but because this may force police to examine their firearm behaviors regarding “suspects.” Especially when that suspect is a minority male. The plainclothes black officer was shot by an on-duty white officer white the off-duty officer was pursing a man who broke into his car. The off-duty officer did have his gun drawn, but how could the on-duty officer engage him without any communication? What does this say about how police officers engage armed criminals? Are our police the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to suspected criminals?
If this had been any other black male nothing would happen. The officer responsible for the shooting would be investigated by his fellow police and ultimately judged as doing nothing wrong. Perhaps now that it was a fellow officer, they will actually care about the decedent and actions leading to his death.
Sorry for the serious post; I really had to vent my frustrations.
