Ark Valley News - Officer shooting raises questions

Officer shooting raises questions
Last Updated: July 18, 2019

They found no drugs and no weapons.

Yet, a 26-year-old with possible mental illness is in the hospital with a police-issued bullet wound in his stomach.

How did this happen? Why did it happen?

We heard a recitation of the Wichita Police Department's facts surrounding the July 14 shooting in the Moorings. A man failed to comply with officers' orders, pulled an object out of his waistband and pointed toward a cop as if he were going to shoot him.

The officer responded with three shots. One of them hit the man in the abdomen and seriously wounded him. Thank God, the man didn't die.

This didn't have to happen, a police official said.

No. It didn't.

There are many questions surrounding this incident. Here are a few that we have.

What did 911 dispatchers ask of the family when it called to report a disturbance at the home? It appeared the family provided a lot of information. Was the family asked if the man had weapons or a history of using guns?

Police said they had run-ins before with the man. Were weapons ever involved? Had he hurt anyone before? What kind of information did police have as they were responding to the incident?

We know that a lot can happen in a short period of time. Officers are called on to make split-second decisions that could be the difference between life and death.

How much time do officers need to assess a situation? In this case, they knew he had a history of mental illness. Could they have been more protective and less combative?

How did officers not see what was in the man's hand? He was shot at 8:30 p.m. in the middle of an open field. It was still light out. There were plenty of police officers on the scene. Could at least one of them see what was in his hand? Do police have access to binoculars?

What options do family members have in situations like these?

Should they call 911 when a relative with mental illness becomes loud or verbally combative? Should they call 911 when they feel threatened by his or her actions?

Do they call 911 when they know their relative is possibly incapable of understanding or is too mad or upset to comprehend "stop and show us your hands"?

We hope this never happens again. It leaves everyone with too many questions.

— The Ark Valley News