Outbreak of police shootings is troubling
Since the killing of Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger during a July 22 traffic stop, there has been an alarming rash of deadly encounters between police officers and suspected criminals in the East and South Bay.
During a two- week span from Aug. 3 to Aug. 17, law enforcement officers from Oakland, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Contra Costa County have been involved in eight violent confrontations. Seven civilians have died, and one is in critical condition. An Oakland police sergeant was wounded by gunfire from an AK- 47 assault rifle.
I can’t remember a time when there have been this many fatal shootings involving police within such a short period of time. I find it of great concern. Regardless of the venomous comments that some are wont to spew in the online comments section of this newspaper, we are talking about people who died violent deaths. Regardless of what crimes they are alleged to have committed, they left behind loved ones who are grieving their loss.
We should inquire — even though we may not have ready answers — what could be causing this surge in law enforcement- involved shootings, and is there anything that can be done about it? Does it suggest a trend? Are increasingly emboldened criminals confronting officers, as San Jose police spokesman Sgt. Enrique Garcia said this week after four separate officer- involved shootings in that city in just nine days? Or are overly aggressive police officers escalating encounters, leading to needless deaths, as some Black Lives Matter protesters claim?
Each case has different circumstances and must be investigated to determine whether officers followed department guidelines before resorting to lethal force. Yet what bothers me is that some in law enforcement and within Black Lives Matter seem more interested in spinning the recent confrontations to suit their agendas rather than the particular facts of each case. The actions of both camps further inflame an already tense situation.
First, a quick recap of recent events.
nAug. 3: Antonio Clements, 49, was shot and killed by two Oakland officers investigating a complaint by a woman that she had been sexually assaulted at Clements’ home. According to police, Clements emerged from the home firing an AK- 47. Sgt. Abdullah Dadgar, a 14- year police veteran , was wounded in the hip.
That same day, Timothy Stout, 28, was shot and critically wounded in the Oakland Airport Hilton hotel parking lot by two inspectors from the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office who attempted to arrest him on felony warrants. According to the agency, he brandished a gun.
nAug. 9: Two San Jose police officers shot and killed Edrian Rivera, 22, who police say was wielding a meat cleaver.
nAug. 10: Two San Jose police officers responded to a 911 call from a woman who said her brother was intoxicated, armed and suicidal. Aaron Phillips, 30, was on the porch with a handgun. The officers shot at Phillips but did not hit him. He went into the house , where he died of a self- inflicted gunshot wound.
nAug. 12: Nate Wilks, 28, was shot and killed by Oakland police after a 7- mile pursuit. According to police, he was driving a car used in an armed