About the Officer Who Killed an Injured Girl's Father

Based on limited information of opposing articles I would like to take a moment to offer my thoughts on this issue that is making it's round through Facebook.  

Sun-Times Metro News

Oh where do I start.  This is a tragedy, and sadly one that could have been avoided in several stages.  As a parent I understand the fury that must have been present but I know in my case concern for my child would have come first and getting her to a hospital would have been my priority.  The original link that I came across (FreePatriot) it sounds like he deliberately ran her over, when the reporter states she ran in front of him.  Further the Sun-Times reports that "a girl suddenly dart(ed) into the street" As a biker I understand that when a child runs in front of you all you can do is dump the bike, so he willingly dumped his bike and subjected himself to hitting the pavement and sustain injuries to try and avoid a child who ran in front of him. 

Onto the next issue of why she was running into the road, she wasn't holding the 18 year old's hand whom she was with, she didn't look both ways.  As a parent I have my kids hold my hands and when I cannot I stand in the road while they cross to be sure they are safe.  I asked my 8 & 9 year old who was to blame for this crash and they both said the little girl is to blame.  They are not entirely correct, while I applaud my children for knowing that they should not run out into the road, it was not the little girls fault.  It was the parents who never taught her that she needed to hold a hand, it was the cousin who didn't hold her hand, she is a 4 year old, someone should have taught her.  

No according to the FreePatriot article, it would seem that the officer shot the father for no reason, when according to the Sun-Times Metro News "Middleton (the father) struck the officer in the face, knocked him to the ground and continued to hit him, according to Shapiro. Passley (the cousin) allegedly joined in and kicked the officer, Shapiro said. The officer then drew his gun and shot Middleton once. “He was about to lose consciousness to people beating him,” said Camden, defending the actions of the officer, who works in a West Side police district. “He fired in defense of his life.” So the officer shot in self-defense, he was on the ground, being beat, and losing consciousness, after ditching his bike and hitting the pavement in an effort to avoid a 4 year old girl who didn't know any better than to run across the road.  According to the Sun-Times Metro News the officer is expected to recover from his injuries but was left with contusions to his head and body from the attack and a possible broken leg and broken shoulder from the crash, Camden said."  The little girl "suffered contusions and abrasions and was hospitalized overnight for observation."  

So let me break this down for you if I can;

1. If the little girl had been taught not to run into the street it could have been avoided, but she is a child so let’s say she forgot as children sometimes do.
2. The person she was walking with could have grabbed her, when that didn't happen the rider dropped his bike and although she was hurt she was alive (a point I feel to be important since had he not she would have substantially less chance at survival). 
3. At that stage the father could have focused on his injured daughter instead of the biker.  He could have focused his fear and concern to calling the police and an ambulance and attending to his little girl. 
4. As a parent his rage and concern of his child could have made him temporarily insane and so he attacked the officer.  At this point a couple other things could have happened. 
1. The cousin could have tried to keep the piece instead of jumping in.
2. The rest of the onlookers could have tried to keep the men apart.

However, neither of those things happened.  and so the officer had two choices he could have let them beat him unconscious and beyond or he could have defended himself.  Now in defending himself he could have wounded the man, however, with the loss of control over the situation and two people beating on him while he was on the ground and losing consciousness it is possible that his training kicked in and he reacted.  I suspect if he had wounded him to stop him there would have been publicity and a law suit either way, because it couldn't possibly be the fault of anyone else (sarcasm), it couldn't possibly have been an accident, which is defined by Merriam Webster as : a sudden event (such as a crash) that is not planned or intended and that causes damage or injury or : an event that is not planned or intended : an event that occurs by chance.  What I do know is this is not the fault of the officer, or the 4 year old girl.  It is the fault of the parents not teaching their child to run in the street, the cousin for not being a responsible adult and the father for not controlling his temper and putting personal vengeance over the welfare of his daughter and that is to say nothing of his automatic assignment of blame to the man who laid down his bike in an attempt not to harm his daughter and willingly putting himself in danger.