Another Police Shooting

Someone shot and killed four police officers in Lakewood this morning. They were sitting in a coffee shop on their laptops before their shifts. A man walked in and shot two in their seats, shot the third standing up, and wrestled with the fourth before shooting him and escaping the crime scene. What the fuck? Four cops killed for no apparent reason. Almost one month on the heels of the equally cowardly killing of Officer Timothy Brenton in the CD. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news at work. Still can't. I mean, the guy has to be nuts to shoot four cops. Obviously. Anyone capable of violence of this magnitude has to be crazy. If he isn't crazy than he's living proof of evil. I can't believe each one of those cops got up this morning and got ready for work like it was just another day. Shot sitting. Jesus. I mean, this has to bother everyone who hears about it but I can't get over the insanity of it. There was a moment before this d-bag pulled the trigger when everything was fine. And then it wasn't. I argued with a friend recently about trying cop-killers harder than those who murder the rest of us. I argued that it was fair that those lowlifes have the book thrown at them. I know there are hundreds of creeps out there; rapists, molesters, murderers... they all deserve prosecution to the limits of the law. But, to kill a cop is to strike out against the people who are in place to protect the rest of us. Of course there are flaws within police departments as with any public institution (or any institution, period). But, ultimately, these are the men and women who go to work every day in order to uphold public safety. They are the ones you call when the shit hits the fan. When they are the ones the sirens are whining for it's scary, it's terrible. Cops aren't untouchable but it often feels as if they are. It seems unfair that they would be victims, ever. It feels perversely backward.

I am so sorry for the families of these four police officers. May they all rest in peace. And I hope the fucker that did this is toast very very soon.