by Bob Walsh
Nancy King, 70, was shot to death in the lobby of the Spokane County Jail on December 4.
Apparently
Ms. King, who is homeless, went to the jail and kept hammering on the
locked door until the receptionist (unwisely) opened the door and
allowed her to enter. At that time Ms. King pulled a toad sticker and
advanced "aggressively" towards an armed Corrections Sergeant, Justin
White. The officer backed up while ordering King to drop the knife.
She refused. He shot her to death.
The
family, none of whom were present at the time, insists that the old
lady was not in fact a threat to anybody, even though she was armed and
advancing towards the Sergeant. The family acknowledged that she had
substance abuse and mental health issues.
You
know what we need? Knives with mental health sensors built into them
so that the knife knows the person holding it is a nut case and they
should not actually hurt anybody. Damn, I wonder if I can patent that?
1 comment:
Is mental illness a threat. You bet it is. Our country has cast the mentally ill on the streets to be dealt with in the criminal justice system. It's not law enforcement's fault that we have failed the mentally ill but it is their burden.
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