Letter to the Editor

from Beaverton Valley Times

Another needless police shooting?

“Screams, terror and a battle” is the account of how a mother and her 8-year-old daughter were able to defend themselves against an unarmed intruder, while the Washington County deputies could not subdue the 5-foot-7-inch man without killing him (The Oregonian, Oct. 25).

I believe the story has several glaring problems, including the statement, “The police left the apartment, guns drawn. The man followed.” Say that again?

The police excuse for killing 20-year-old Jordan Laird Case is that he was trying to grab a locked rifle in a police car. There is no way to rebut or verify the speculation of the police about what Case was intending when he approached the police car.

It seems to me that the police always justify their killings by claiming some threatening action gave them reason to shoot to kill. Yet another life is lost because, I believe, the police do not have the courage to remain calm and professional in the face of erratic behavior by mentally disabled individuals: James Chasse, Lukus Glenn, Fouad Kaady, Jose Mejia Poot, James Jahar Perez, Kendra James, Adam Gantenbein, Joyce Staudenmaier, Thomas Genge, 12-year-old Nathan Thomas and many, many more unnecessary killings.

CARL REYNOLDS, Sherwood