A former West Valley police officer, Shaun Cowley, has been charged with manslaughter for shooting a woman who tried to flee. One thought cascades upon another as I first hear, and then absorb the news.
First, I think, No, don't do it. Don't charge him with manslaughter. I lament and mourn for Officer Cowley.
Then, I think of how even good people can do wrong, and about how he might have, indeed, been reckless and killed another human being when there was no need for doing so. I consider how otherwise good people end up doing something wrong and must be held accountable. As the day goes on, I remind myself that after reading stories from months ago as to how it went down, that I, myself, had concluded it was a wrongful shooting, that the woman did not endanger the officers, and her shooting was unjustified.
Finally, I think (yes, if you read my blogs much, you knew this was coming), Yes, it is true even good people can do wrong. And, well, having a gun can lead a person to error's path if care is not taken. Guns don't kill, people do, maybe. But, in some ways, guns do kill, for it seems people who aren't your 9-to-5 killers end up taking lives when they shouldn't.
So, I repeat what I've said before, as the Cowley case might serve up another example, depending on whether it was a justified killing or not. A gun is an inanimate object, yes, but we are fools if the gun being an inanimate object does not allow us to realize it can have a real and powerful influence on us. The gun can damage the heart of the person who shoots it as much as it will damage the heart of the person who is shot.
(This note added early in the morning.) My feelings are circling around, to where they began and through the whole cycle. I wonder if there is room for not charging Cowley. I wonder if he was but a police officer in pursuit of his duty, caught in a moment's decision that went awry. I hate to see his life ruined. I hate to see even the shame he is enduring. I think how humans pile on, finding fault with each other, seizing upon things and making them seem worse than they are. I wonder if this is the case with Cowley. I wonder if he was not guilty.
I fear, though, I cannot dismiss this lightly. A person is dead. He shot her. He killed her. If there were no victim, mercy would be allowable. I wonder if he truly felt threatened by her that he should have killed her.
And, finally, I wonder if there were unfortunate thoughts and things he taught himself that came into focus in that one moment. If he believed that when you shoot, you shoot to kill, it happened. That thought, alone, might have been all it took to ruin his heart, so to speak, to bring him to do what he did. Other possibilities? Did he devalue the lives of criminals, supposing it is alright to take their lives? Did he believe it was the right thing to do to shoot a fleeing person, regardless?
We must be careful the things we teach ourselves, for they can reap a whirlwind. If we do not select our values carefully, they may come back to haunt us.
No comments:
Post a Comment