Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Empire State

I was getting ready to leave for work on Friday morning when the whole incident at the Empire State building began being reported on the News; initially I put out a few quick Facebook posts to pray for our Officers since we did not know then exactly what had happened.
The story is still unfolding, and little by little, we are getting a picture of what took place on Friday right outside the Empire State Building in NYC. For those of you that are not caught up:
A disgruntled former apparel designer was killed Friday morning in a hail of police gunfire in front of the Empire State Building after he shot and killed a co-worker and engaged in a gunbattle with two officers, authorities said.
At least nine others were wounded in the incident as the officers unloaded 14 rounds at the gunman, who apparently turned his weapon against them in one of Manhattan's busiest neighborhoods.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the bystanders were not hit directly by police, but rather the officers' struck "flowerpots and other objects around, so ... their bullets fragmented and, in essence, that's what caused the wounds."
For more: http://articles.cnn.com/2012-08-24/justice/justice_new-york-empire-state_1_police-officer-police-commissioner-shot 
And here's where I stand: I am happy that our two veteran NYPD Officers are safe and sound, and that all the other Officers stationed at or nearby the Empire State Building are not injured. Although I feel badly for the innocent bystanders who were injured, I know that real life is not a movie. In a movie, the cops get off one round of ammunition, directly hit their target, no one else gets hurt, and afterward there is very little "armchair Copper-backing." In real life, people who were just walking to work get caught up in the crossfire and the News Machine takes on every possible angle. Fools on social media begin tweeting their opinions from thousands of miles away, and then try chastising me for having an opinion different from theirs.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: A man with an experience is never beholden to one with a theory.
And as I've said and will continue to say: Police protocol should not be questioned in this incident. Period.
And after the scene was cleared:
"I believe it was handled well," Kelly said. Ray Kelly is our Top Cop over here, and I trust his opinion a hell of a lot more than any one person making random comments in the press.
Read more:

2 comments:

  1. What a great post! I agree entirely...the cops did exactly what was needed!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's what sets us apart...we get it.
    :) Stella

    ReplyDelete

 
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