Letter: Now is not the time for blame
Letter to the Editor
April 24, 2007
Spontaneous decision making in the midst of an ongoing calamity is an incredibly difficult task. This was true on the agonizing morning of September 11, when our national leaders struggled on how to respond to a sudden threat of unknown scope from terrorists, and it occurred on April 16 with the mass shootings on campus at Virginia Tech.
I believe that the university police and supporting law enforcement agencies did the best they could under the stressful circumstances.
We must remember that police officers are just like the rest of us, human beings forced into making near instantaneous decisions based on limited information that may be judged erroneous in hindsight.
Officers responding to the double homicide at West Ambler Johnston made a reasonable initial assumption, based on the circumstances that it was related to a domestic dispute. The majority of homicides in this country occur not between strangers, but acquaintances. Such perpetrators may commit suicide, but rarely have ever decided to strike out against others unrelated to their target.
When the calamity at Norris Hall erupted two hours later, officers had to be very cautious while breaching the internally chained doors of Norris Hall. In spite of the terrible sounds of gunfire emanating from inside the building, police did not know how many suspects were involved, their appearance, weaponry or exact location. They faced the risk of a direct ambush upon entry or the sickening possibility of gunning down a panicked hostage who was attempting to flee the scene.
Undoubtedly, there will be an extensive professional level evaluation of the tragic events and the opportunity to implement reforms. Now is not the time for finger pointing at the police or administration for not being able to anticipate the actions of a spontaneous psychopath.
Rush Wickes
Columbus, GA