Shooting shows danger in rushing to judgment

I imagine many are aware of the police shooting in El Cajon, California, recently.

A woman called the police department because her brother was acting erratically. The man was shot and killed and subsequently it was met with outrage by community leaders and violent civil protest.

The police department released video of this afterward which showed the man with hands in his pockets. He later pulled them out, went into a combat stance and pointed at the police.

It turns out he pointed an e-cig vaping device as if it were a gun. He was shot and killed.

Under those circumstances the shooting, while tragic, was justified. In that split second there is no way to know if it's not a gun as he seemingly gets set to shoot.

So why didn't all those who expressed such outrage publicly, those community leaders come back and say something after the tape was released? Angry rhetoric can stir up riotous behavior but acknowledgment of the facts can go a long way to quell things by admitting in this case the police were right.

In any case, judge once you have examined all the facts and evidence. Too often there is a rush to judgment and usually when that judgment is made impulsively, it's inherently flawed and we as a society regress.

Lawrence Kopp

Schaumburg