The officer was aware the home was residential and with it being 2 a.m., there was a strong likelihood that the residents of the home, would be home. Are officers trained to fire into someone’s home without any knowledge of whether or not the inhabitants are there? Is it proper protocol for officers performing a welfare check to prowl around the home prior to announcing their presence and checking if the resident is home? While deadly force can legally be combatted with deadly force, what is the threshold for a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm when no force is used, or no deadly weapon brandished? What are the differences between what officers are trained to do versus what happens in practice? Are the officers in all of these situations racists using the blue cloak to openly kill Black people or are these cops scared and unqualified to perform their job’s most basic functions?
One thing that is crystal clear is that the police are not for us. We need to learn to police our own communities and look after our own because a well-meaning call to the police to check on your neighbor could result in their death at the hands of the cop you called to check on them. Instead of calling the police, call your neighbor’s friend or relative, check on them yourself and gather some more neighbors to go with you. Moral of the story: avoid the police to the fullest extent possible.
