SHOOTING CASE SHOULD HAVE GONE TO GRAND JURY

I want to commend the Messenger-Inquirer for its July 17 editorial and for
seeing past the hype and hypocrisy of Hardin County prosecutor Chris Shaw.
I don't understand why the police officer was pointing a loaded gun in
first place?

There were no weapons found, no shots had been fired at any officer and the
only crime that had been committed by that man (if you could even consider
it a crime) was that he was a passenger in a car that was running from the
police.

Police departments nationwide, as well as Kentucky, are trained to fire
their weapons at areas of the body that will do the most damage.

If we, as parents and concerned citizens don't speak out against these
all-too-frequent shootings, it could very well be that your teen-ager's
first mistake will be his or her last.

Then how will you feel about this so-called war on drugs? After all, which
is more harmful to our community, someone who just wants to alter his or
her state of mind and is bothering no one, or commandoes who are trained,
ready and willing to point a gun at your head or heart?

Shaw should be removed from office for his callous statements made to the
press and derelict of duties for not allowing a grand jury to decide
whether or not charges should be filed against the officer. After all,
isn't that why we have grand juries?

Eddie Smith
Utica, KY