The tragic shooting death this past Friday night of 27 year-old Rayshard Brooks outside of a Wendy’s restaurant by an Atlanta police officer has confirmed even further (as if there needed to be any more proof) the degree of racial bias that exists in many police departments across our country and the need to move swiftly to institute major reforms in those police departments in order to avoid further tragedies.
How it can be that a fleeing person, who apparently was under the influence of alcohol, can be shot in the back at close range while running away barefoot in a parking lot is mind-boggling. The officer fired three shots, of which two struck Mr. Brooks. In addition, neither of the two officers involved with the incident provided medical attention to Mr. Brooks until two minutes later when one of them unrolled a bandage.
If officers either are unable to control their racial animosity or are so lacking in training that they cannot act without shooting someone dead in the back when there already is heightened scrutiny of their actions, then the time truly has come to completely revamp the method of policing in this country.
And the sooner, the better.