...and again another senseless tragedy that is far more based on one person's psychological failings than anything else.
In reading up on the details of the story i understand that Clemmons was initially convicted of burlgary as a minor, and given a 108 year sentence. He was a product of our penal system, placed there as a boy.
He'd been paroled by Republican governor, ex-presidential candidate and clergy person Mike Huckabee in what was likely an act of compassion motivated by religious faith.
In observation of all of this terribly senseless and tragic mess, I've asked myself if our collective wholesale rejection of the notion of rehabilitation says anything about us, as a people.
From Wikipedia: "...Police claim that Clemmons reached into his waist area, seemingly for a gun...Officer Kelly fired several rounds at Clemmons and hit him at least twice, killing him.[11][16][19][23] Clemmons was allegedly carrying a handgun..." It's interesting that the accompanying autopsy photo shows only one bullet wound on the front of Clemmons' body, labeled an entrance wound from the episode when he had killed the other police. Doesn't that mean that the two fatal shots that took him out were shots at his back?
If all the reports are true, we can certainly see that Clemmons was a deranged and homicidally dangerous person.
So a deranged mental case who has himself killed, is gunned down by police. Call me old fashioned, but in the absence of a police authority capable of professional temperance, I don't feel safer. But as cops and thugs engage fullscale gun battle, how could a well reasoned public safety officer take control of someone who is armed and shooting, without imposing an immediate death sentence? It's a question that I don't think is beyond our reach as a civilization. Besides wondering whether it's possible, I wonder if it's even the goal...
The case of Maurice Clemmons appears to point to the necessity of using deadly force, killing the person, as the only safe and reasonable course of action.
In the presence of all of our advanced technology and our ability to incapacitate the human body from a distance for enforcement purposes, I find it hard to believe that the only way to take control of one armed and shooting person is to assassinate him on the spot. In fact I've read about the wide spread use of tasers in police type training, being used almost as a hazing or rite of passage into the profession. I've watched youtube videos of the type, and can clearly see how effective a tool they are in immediately and absolutely overpowering someone.
Many of us have family members who are touched by mental health concerns.
A moment of introspection in this way may keep us from sharing (what can feel like) a (very justified) killer's mentality.
