I was shocked to see the recent reports with body-cam videos of the shooting of Patrick Harmon, along with the decision by District Attorney Sim Gill.
Consider this scenario. A burglar with a knife is confronted by a homeowner who chases him out of the house. The burglar makes a verbal threat against the homeowner as he flees down the driveway, so the homeowner shoots and kills him. Are we to understand that both the Salt Lake police and county district attorney believe that in this scenario deadly force against the fleeing intruder is justified?
In similar cases around the country homeowners are being charged, and rightfully so. Do we have lesser standards for trained police officers? No. That is why this decision by the district attorney represents a double standard.
No matter what you may think of Harmon or the need to support our police officers, this decision is dangerous for us all. Any of us might find ourselves in front of a gun, or behind a trigger. Right now, after this decision, in Salt Lake County I don’t feel comfortable in either position.
David Efros, Springville