Not long after midnight on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, police officers were called to an apartment complex regarding a female who was threatening to commit suicide. Two officers went to the scene and found that the woman was sitting inside a vehicle, and she was still making suicide threats. Police say the women exited the vehicle holding a handgun. One officer allegedly fired a gunshot at the woman, but the bullet missed. The other officer fired a beanbag shotgun at her twice, and she was knocked to the ground, hit by both beanbags. The officers then took the handgun away from the woman, and she was taken into custody. Police officers transported her to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation. No one was seriously hurt in the incident. The police officer who fired the gunshot at the suicidal woman has been placed on administrative leave, and an investigation is pending.
When police respond to 9-1-1 calls, unfortunately, things sometimes go very wrong. For instance, another police shooting that occurred in Oklahoma City in September involved a deaf man. Police officers were following a lead on a hit-and-run driver related to an accident with no injuries when they encountered a deaf man who was also developmentally impaired. The man had a pipe tied to one hand, which was used to protect him when encountering stray dogs. Police felt threatened by the man and allegedly shot and killed him as neighbors screamed out that the man was deaf. In Houston, Texas, recently, a woman in a nearby home was allegedly shot by police during an attempt to apprehend suspects.
It is perceived by many in the public that police officers are not held accountable for their actions to the extent that they should be. Social outcry about this matter seems to be creating different outcomes when officers blatantly use excessive force. Even if officers don’t face criminal charges when their actions are reckless, more and more counties are paying multi-million-dollar lawsuits to families of victims of alleged needless police shootings.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
