By Staff
To the editor:
My family experienced a horrible tragedy this past week in the McCall Community when my elderly, mentally-impaired brother was shot and killed by a SWAT team member.
This deplorable and totally unnecessary action on the part of the law enforcement agencies present during this standoff should be seriously looked into. Someone should critique their actions in government other than themselves with a goal in mind of using a little common sense and human compassion and creativity. For instance, why couldn't the local law officers who were on the scene first block off the road and wait for my 83-year-old brother to fall asleep and then go in and take him away. Did they really need the SWAT team for an old man who could hardly get around?
The idea of such a show of force, damages incurred in the home, not to mention the vultures circling overhead in a helicopter makes me ill. After all, we are talking about a disturbance in the middle of a cotton field, not in crime-infested urban area.
We would like to have the opportunity to ask all of those involved if they honestly feel that they have done their job well.
Pat and Bill Baker
Roswell, Ga.