By Bill Walter, Hennessey Clipper
WINNING Editorial-November 2001
You (a uniformed Hennessey reserve police officer) hear what sounds like three shots from a small-caliber weapon. Then two shots are fired at you and you feel an impact on your chest.
You draw your pistol and yell, “Freeze! Police officer.”
It’s dark-thirty on Halloween night and you were patrolling on a bicycle to help prevent vandalism.
The shooter takes off running. You yell “stop” twice and follow him around a corner and there’s another man with a gun. You have to yell at him four times before he drops his weapon.
Should you have returned fire instantly, perhaps killing the first young man? Or do you give him a chance to stop and — shoot his paint-ball gun at you again?
The young man that was stupid enough to fire a paint-ball gun at an armed police officer at night very possibly owes his life to the restraint Hartley Cole showed in that situation.
We can all recall situations in other Oklahoma towns in the last year when officers shot and killed individuals who were only threatening their lives, and didn’t actually point and shoot. One Oklahoma City police officer was killed when shot with just a blank cartridge.
I can’t imagine how the Hennessey officer was able to retain his cool and take a chance that the first shot was a semi-dud which didn’t penetrate and possibly allow the perp to try again.
Hartley Cole’s life was on the line when he faced two men with guns in the dark. I don’t know if he could identify them for certain as only paint-ball guns in that light.
When one ran away, that would have made me even more concerned that I might be in mortal danger.
The young shooter was almost terminally stupid. He thought he was playing a prank. He really was playing with death, and only the officer’s professional restraint saved him.
And saved the officer from having to live with the fact he shot and maybe killed a stupid young man without enough brains to realize the danger his prank put both of them in.
The worst of it is the young man will probably brag to his friends how brave he was and how he faced down a police officer. He scored with his paint-ball gun without paying any price. My fear is his stupidity could be catching and another young person might try the same thing, with a very different and terribly tragic outcome.
And the officer might now be reluctant to shoot in a future situation. Maybe even when his life depends on it.
I don’t believe handguns should be banned. But I definitely believe anyone who demonstrates a failure of common sense in handling them safely should be banned from owning or using one—including paint-ball guns—for life.
I also hope there is a municipal ordinance which will enforce a very memorable penalty on the reckless and irresponsible shooter.