Man Mistaken for Suspect Slain

The deputy sheriff was told over the radio that a man had just committed an armed robbery of a liquor store. Moments later and a block away, the deputy confronted a man who matched the description he had been given. The man was hostile and actions followed that resulted in him being shot and killed by the deputy when he appeared to be reaching for a weapon.

It turned out, though, that the man was not the robbery suspect. He had not been armed and he was killed after he got out of his own car in the vicinity of his own home.

A family lost a husband and a father, and a young deputy sheriff will relive the tragedy of his split-second decision for the rest of his days. Then comes Conrad’s cartoon and one suddenly understands why it’s difficult to recruit young men and women for law enforcement careers.

What would you have done, Conrad? If that armed robbery call at the liquor store had been your call, Conrad, how would you have handled it?

JON R. LOVE

Visalia