Officers excelled in Kingsburg situation

If the description of events in a Kingsburg front yard was accurate in the April 8 Fresno Bee, then a team of police officers is due congratulations and accolades.

The article described an encounter between a naked man, known for hostility toward police, and two local lawmen. When the sheriff’s deputy and a Kingsburg policeman arrived, they asked the resident to put on some clothes.

After an hostile response, the man threw an object at the officers and threatened to get a gun. The resident went into the house to get clothing and returned with a knife to intimidate the policemen.

As he threw the knife, lethal retaliation would surely have been justified by department policy. The brave officers did not respond in this manner, but used non-lethal force and arrested the man with a minor injury.

The cool-headed response deserves hurrays because the incident might have resulted in another police-involved shooting – justified in a sense but avoidable if handled by officers with this kind of valor and humanity.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Officers excelled in Kingsburg situation."