I Don’t Want To Shoot You, Brother

I Don’t Want To Shoot You, Brother

As we watch we horror how police across America have behaved during the George Floyd protests, I’ve seen many on social media from military veterans who served in Afghanistan or Iraq about the rules of engagement. With that in mind, I think it’s important to revisit a ProPublica story from 2018 about the firing of a police officer after he responded to a domestic disturbance call and it resulted in the death of a 23-year-old black man. The officer was retired Marine who had served in Afghanistan, and this excerpt from his lawsuit alleging unlawful termination is why you should read it:

“The Weirton Police Department terminated Mr. Mader’s employment because he chose not to use deadly force to shoot and kill an African-American man who was suicidal.”

You need to read the full piece from beginning to end.