We're Quick To Shoot Too

I've been reading a lot of comments regarding the fatal shooting of the man at Sherbourne and Carlton yesterday and honestly, I think that many of them are unfair and a bit irresponsible in the rush to judgment against the police.  The comments literally began only moments after the shooting was reported and all I could think to myself was like "Um, we don't KNOW anything yet."    

It's no secret that the police have been involved in some deeply disturbing shootings as of late and clearly used excessive force in those instances.  But each case has its own distinct set of circumstances and to immediately liken any other case to that of Sammy Yatim is shortsighted.  Of COURSE the goal should always be to de-escalate hostilities and neutralize the situation without violence.  However, neutralizing a situation in which someone is wildly waving around a gun that you have every reason to believe is loaded is VERY different from neutralizing of a situation is which someone is waving around a knife, which is VERY different from neutralizing a situation with an unarmed person.  I'm quite certain that if this man HAD suddenly opened fire and killed someone's wife or grandfather or child, the same people who are rushing to condemn to police would be asking "Why didn't they shoot him before he was able to kill innocent people?"  

You can't compare a scenario in which someone has the capacity to open fire at any moment to one in which he or she does not.  I'm not saying that the former scenario justifies a fatal shooting or a shooting at all. (Where on his or her body a suspect is shot is an important part of this discussion.)  I'm saying that it's a whole different set of stakes.  Just as the police have at times been trigger-happy, so have we.  Our bullets come in the form of snap judgments and condemnations.  Toronto Police certainly have questionable decisions to answer for.  But we cannot demand of others a display of justice that we do not display ourselves. Past guilt does not by default confirm present guilt.  To a certain degree I feel for the police because I believe that there is a HUGE gap in their training.  They are taught to view people in these situations strictly as perpetrators from whom they and the public must be protected. But that is a simplistic view and only part of a much more complex equation.

They are NOT schooled or well-versed in dealing with mental illness, a prominent and recurrent component in many of these cases.  That is a glaring failure in law enforcement education. EVERY police officer, before he or she graduates, should be taking courses that focus on depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia.  It is required knowledge in addressing criminal behaviour and it should be mandatory.  They would then be able to meet these confrontations with a greater level of comprehension, compassion and ability to discern what condition, if any, may or may not be afflicting the agitated person.  If we really want to see some change in how police handle these situations, demanding that our police training include education on mental illness is a good place to begin.

- TT