Thirty-two-year-old Jerome Dixon was shot to death by Wichita police last Friday. He died because he pointed a gun at a policeman and refused to drop it when ordered to do so.
We don’t know much about Dixon. Police were called to his place by neighbors who said they heard shots and complained about loud music. Maybe he was drunk or high on drugs. Maybe he was de-ranged.
We also know that when police went to the door to investigate, Dixon opened it and pointed a gun at the officers.
Dixon had a right to have a gun in his house. All of us do. But the police have a right to protect themselves, as well. Confronted by a person with a gun who refuses an order to drop it, an officer can either shoot or take the risk of being shot. The decision is made in a fraction of a second. The Wichita officers acted prudently.
This sad story illustrates another fact about our society: Too many of us have guns and shouldn’t.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
