[green iguana]

Sophia King, a mentally ill woman who was shot and killed by police in 2002

Of course the police are supposed to know everyone who is mentally ill. And the mentally ill can't possibly be dangerous. She had a knife, wouldn't drop it, and was about to attack her apartment supervisor.

Jesse Lee Owens, was shot and killed by an officer in 2003

Driving a stolen car, shot by the officer he had trapped in the car door (as he was driving away - officer half in, half out of car.)

Too bad the Austin American Statesman isn't the Austin Sun Statesman or some other. That way the acronym would be ASS, which is where most of their reporters pull their stories from.

[ken21]

agree.

this newspaper actually incites social unrest.

[TexanByBirth]

Sophia King, a mentally ill woman who was shot and killed by police in 2002 Of course the police are supposed to know everyone who is mentally ill. And the mentally ill can't possibly be dangerous. She had a knife, wouldn't drop it, and was about to attack her apartment supervisor.

Actually one of the officer that arrived on the scene with Sophia King did know she was mentally ill and had dealt with the woman before. King was holding a knife over her apartment supervisor, but the officer who had dealt with her before was trying to defuse the situation. The other officer, a trainer at APD's firing range, shot King in the heart.

I am not saying police are not justified in using deadly force when the need arises, like this case near "Drug Springs". But too often over the past two decades, APD's solution has been to shot first, ask question later. APD's reputation in Austin is terrible, especially in the minority community, but quite frankly their reputation throughout the whole Austin community is pretty bad.