If Evidence is Believable, this may be the only Justified Shooting involving Cops

America is going through a new phase right now and it is the phase of protest.  While all peaceful protests should be welcomed for no other reason than through which reform actually comes, those protests which has an element of revenge needs to be deconstructed and the revenge element removed.  Like the gentleman who thought he was justified in killing two police officers while they were sitting in their car, these cowards need to be exposed.  I call him a coward because he took advantage of his situation then took his own life.  If the action that you take is thought to be so justified, then stand tall in defense of it but when you run away from the responsibility of that action, then you has just earned the label.  This goes for people like Edward Snowden and those cops who kill then hide behind their union and the justice system instead of being willing to truly clear their names by standing tall in a court of law.

This seems not to be the case if what is reported here in this article titled “Ex-Officer Not Charged in Fatal Milwaukee Shooting” by Todd Richmond for the Associated Press can be believed.  The article reports that “a white Milwaukee police officer who was fired after he fatally shot a mentally ill black man in April won't face criminal charges, the county's top prosecutor said Monday. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said Christopher Manney won't be charged because he shot Dontre Hamilton in self-defense. "This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community," Chisholm said in a statement. "But, based on all the evidence and analysis presented in this report, I come to the conclusion that Officer Manney's use of force in this incident was justified self-defense and that defense cannot be reasonably overcome to establish a basis to charge Officer Manney with a crime."  “Manney shot 31-year-old Hamilton on April 30 after responding to a call for a welfare check on a man sleeping in a downtown park. Manney said Hamilton resisted when he tried to frisk him. The two exchanged punches before Hamilton got a hold of Manney's baton and hit him on the neck with it, the former officer has said. Manney then opened fire, hitting Hamilton 14 times.”

These facts does not absolve Officer Manney from others actions which could be seen excessive like firing 14 times and refusing to follow police policy when dealing with a mentally ill person by attempting to frisk him but other than that no police officer is required by any laws to give up his or her life when they are threatened.  When Mr. Hamilton took control of his baton and began to strike the office with it, deadly force was clearly authorized.  Anyone who has taken a few minutes to look over the degrees of force will tell you that a baton can be a deadly weapon especially if it is actually making contact.  Now whether Officer Manney should have been fired or not is not so clear but because Officer was involved in an incident where a life was taken, close observation of him in the aftermath should be a top priority of those in a management and supervisory role.  The taking of a life is never an easy thing and those who are sensitive to it will forever be scarred by it so strict monitoring should be the next step taken whether he retains or regains his job or not.

One can understand the rush to judgment but when the truth comes out, one must also be willing to temper it with equal justice for all parties including the cops.  If we fail to be firm yet fair to all involved then we are no better than those we protest against or the causes we pretend to support.   Yes, a life was lost but to also lose the lesson is just as criminal.