Editor,
I am a resident of the Spring Creek subdivision and was present as the tragic shooting event of July 27 came to a resolution. I was struck with a variety of emotions and responses as it became clear just what had happened. In a society that is undergoing turmoil, protests and ongoing social conflict, I surveyed the setting and considered my family and was left with one overriding thought: Thank God for the police.
My 9-year-old daughter and I were taking recyclables out to the curb five houses down from where the suspect was killed. Immediately after the shooting, a bicyclist rode right past where the events unfolded. Unsure of exactly what the situation was but certainly aware that a man had been shot, I ushered my daughter inside and sheltered our family in the middle of the house, away from windows.
Once it was made clear that the situation resolved itself, neighbors gathered outside to process everything. There was confusion and shock, uncertainty and a sort of surreal feeling. But what became immediately evident was the debt of gratitude that we owe the Carmel Police Dept. The officers involved literally put themselves in the direct line of fire.
In a world that increasingly looks to criticize every action that officers make, those officers acted heroically in making the most difficult of decisions and in acting in such a manner that most certainly saved the lives of others. The suspect had already shot two people. The bicyclist in the street would have been within 10 feet of the suspect, and my daughter and I were five driveways down, on the curb and in direct line of sight.
Having the discussion with our daughter after everything was done was not as difficult as one might imagine. I’m not sure that she really understood what was happening, and she seems to be processing the event in her own way. What she definitely understood, however, was that when something awful and tragic was unfolding, there were heroes from the Carmel Police Dept. there to make sure that the rest of us were safe.
Will Ellery, Carmel
