Standoff drama was entirely unnecessary

I can't even begin to speculate what that standoff cost taxpayers! ("Shots fired during Streamwood standoff," July 7).

The suspect, according to the release, was alone in the house. What ever happened to tear gas? If the man, in fact, was alone and even if he had weapons, how much damage could he actually have done before being overtaken by the tear gas?

And, to whom would he have done the damage? He was alone! The house is less than 1,100 square feet and has a total of five windows. How hard could it have been to get the tear gas into the house?

His wife said he had numerous firearms, not bombs. Even if he ran out of the house shooting, there were at least 40 enforcement personnel who could have shot the gun out of his hand or shot him in the knee to bring him down.

And, I am not exaggerating when I state the number 40. It certainly seemed like overkill (excuse the expression) to me and to others that were watching.

This was an eight-hour standoff. There were no hostages. I just cannot understand the reasoning behind this taking so long. Maybe someone could explain it to me.

April Bull

Schaumburg