RIP SWEET PRINCE

I have always had great respect for law enforcement officers.  Their lives are on the line every working day of their lives and I have always been very sorry when one of their lives is lost in the line of duty.  They are who we call when  we need help and  who we depend on to keep us safe & who we feel will use the best of judgment in an emergency.  I think they deserve our respect and our thanks for their public service, in what I'm sure is often a thankless job.  That being said, I am very troubled by the death of John Winkler, the circumstances just don't compute in my mind, and I think could have been avoided by a less careless deputy who seems to be lacking in sufficiently proper training for such  urgent or emergency situations.   It seems this young man was shot and killed because he was wearing a black shirt.  Even if he had a knife, he was no match for 4 sheriff's deputies with guns.  Whatever happened to "drop the weapon" or "put your hands in the air"  or "get on the ground" or other such commands officers usually give a suspect under such circumstances?  What about mace or pepper spray?  Or am I watching too many movies?  At 30, Mr. Winkler likely had 50 more years of life to go, maybe more, and was very excited about his future.  And his life was cut short by what I consider an irresponsible act by an incompetent deputy, incapable of handling such a situation that required fast thinking while putting first the safety and lives of everyone involved if possible.  And in this case, it looks like it was very possible.  I am reminded of an occasion in October 2010, when West Hollywood sheriffs were called & responded to a liquor store robbery.  They arrived at the scene of the crime and one of the responding sheriffs fired 8 shots at the crime victim  as the actual robbers fled.  The deputy managed to shatter the windows of a store across the street, but thankfully all of the 8 shots he fired missed his target, who was the innocent liquor store clerk.  I don't know what disciplinary action or retraining might have taken place in that case, if any, but it is another example of the potentially deadly decision to shoot first & ask questions later.  But that incident pales in comparison to the very sad and I think avoidable loss of Mr. Winkler's young life.  Perhaps the Sheriff's Dept. should offer more comprehensive training to their candidates and be sure each one is able to keep their head on under stress, does not panic in emergency situations , and especially who know better than to fire their weapon as a first course of action.  There must certainly be more appropriate measures to take before firing a gun at an unarmed man who they haven't even identified in any way other than his black shirt.  Otherwise, we cannot entrust them with our safety by putting our very lives in their hands.  I mourn the death of John Winkler as if I had known him.  The pictures of his face & his big smile  linger on my mind even as I try to wish them  away. And the whole incident seems like something that happened in some far away place instead of in  the city of creativity and celebration where I have spent most of my life.  And I mourn the blemish that West Hollywood has been forever left to bear.  And to John Winkler, who had big plans to spend his life making movies, I say "Good night Sweet Prince - and choirs of angels sing thee to thy rest".