Sunday, August 12, 2012

Anchorage, Alaska: Police report on fatal shooting leaves too many questions














Our view: Not good enough


By Anchorage Daily News

The Anchorage Police Department reports that the state Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals has concluded that the fatal police shooting of Harry Smith in July was justified. Case closed?

Not quite.

Too many questions remain about this shooting. APD still hasn't explained exactly what happened. The assistant district attorney who reviewed the police investigation of the shooting says he can't explain what evidence led to his conclusion that it was justified.

Trust us, this man had to die, is not an adequate answer. Especially not in the third case of a fatal shooting by authorities this year.

This is no way for a police department to do business. The police work for the citizens of Anchorage. They are accountable to us. When they employ the power we've given them to use deadly force, they must be able to explain exactly why and how.

Read the entire article here.

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