Tough on Cops Too

I read with disgust the two accounts (May 22) of individuals being slain by the apparent excessive use of force by San Diego law enforcement officials.

The shooting death of a young man after his truck backed into a cruiser driven by two sheriff’s deputies sounds like a gross over-reaction to what may have been an accidental collision. The transient, wielding a mason’s trowel on Interstate 5, was surrounded by several “trained” San Diego police officers, outfitted with billy clubs, probably Mace and guns. The choice of one officer to fire eight times resulted in the death by multiple gunshot wounds of an apparently confused and deranged young man.

Our law enforcement officials have a difficult and dangerous job. They are entrusted with the use of deadly weapons with all of the accompanying responsibilities. The incidents discussed here display the tragic results of the use of these deadly weapons.

Unless facts are forthcoming, the conclusion seems inescapable that these officials have failed in discharging their responsibilities for the appropriate use of deadly force, as they discharged their deadly weapons. The result: two dead young men.

TERRENCE P. DELANEY

Oceanside