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Using Guns Only When Necessary

Charles Kinsey has told reporters the North Miami, Fla., police officer who shot him admitted he did not know why he pulled the trigger. Viewers of a video recorded by a bystander may be at a loss for an answer, too.     Kinsey, 47, is a therapist who was trying to calm an autistic 27-year-old patient back into a facility he had left last week. Police arrived in response to a call, possibly unrelated, of a man threatening to shoot himself.     As officers approached, Kinsey laid down on the sidewalk, put his hands in the air, and assured police his patient had nothing but a toy truck in his hands. He also urged the man, who was sitting in the street, to lie down.     One policeman fired his gun three times, hitting Kinsey once in the leg.     Kinsey, who is black, later asked the officer why he fired. He said the response was, “I don’t know.”     Obviously, both state and federal officials should investigate the shooting, especially because of the current tension involving black men shot by police officers.     But in this case — as in others, perhaps — race may have had little or nothing to do with the shooting. It may have been an accident.     That does not make it right, of course. People lying on the ground with their hands up as they assure police officers they are no threat should not be shot.     There needs to be more than just race to the discussion of how to avoid unnecessary shootings by law enforcement personnel. It is not enough to ensure racism never enters the minds of officers and deputies.     Those who serve and protect also must, to the best extent possible, be able to handle the stress of confrontations such as that involving Kinsey. They need to be men and women who will know why they fired their guns and will have good reasons for doing so.     Racism is a character flaw. It is not the only failing that may result in unnecessary violence, however — and that needs to be recognized and addressed by law enforcement agencies.

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