Common Sense
Tonight a young man was fatally shot by Seattle police and the question of why may not be difficult to answer. The police were responding to a 911 call from a bystander who had noticed the man with a gun. When the officers confronted the man he drew the gun and pointed it at the officers. Needless to say we all know what happened next, something that both saddens and infuriates me. What the hell was this guy thinking???
I was less than a block away when the shooting occurred and I have no doubt this man had what was coming to him. I saw the same young man less than ten minutes earlier starting an unprovoked fight, a fight he was sure to lose. Now knowing he had a gun on him, I have to wonder why he didn’t pull it during the altercation? Maybe common sense came kicked in and made him realize that it wouldn’t be a bright thing to do. But I also have to wonder whether common sense kicked in during his interactions with the officers or if the man was merely suicidal. With the outcome we may just never know, though I’ll continue to wonder…
