LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Kaady shooting: 'Are any of us safe?'

from the Oregonian

I just cannot believe that the Clackamas County grand jury decided to clear the police officer and sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a naked, injured, burned and confused young man in Sandy on Sept. 8 ("Jury clears two officers in fatal shooting," Oct. 25).

Are any of us safe? What kind of training are "peace" officers given in this state? Are we all in danger of being shot down if we behave in unusual ways?

CLAUDIA O'DRISCOLL, Colton

How would you feel if a member of your family was gunned down for being uncontrollable, doing no harm to anyone but [being] oh-so-naked?

Would it be too much to ask that patience be offered to calm things down and the man brought under control? Was this man so big that he scared presumably well-trained law enforcement officers to the point that they felt threatened by his size or maybe his nakedness?

Animals are tranquilized if they are uncontrollable. Why not human beings? Is life so cheap that we do not have the time to consider the options before taking such severe action?

I truly believe in the institution of [public] safety and that the majority of officers uphold the law and do their best to protect us. However, when they themselves approve of this kind of action by their own against a naked, unarmed man, I question my continued belief in them.

PETTER MOE, Southwest Portland

In response to the several news items about the death of Fouad Kaady, there is no doubt that Kaady's actions were irrational and confrontational, and that he instilled fear in those around him in his last moments.

[However,] he was unarmed --which should have been obvious once he started moving around with no clothes on.

Since the officers came upon him in a catatonic or disassociative state, it seems that they would have been aware there could be some noncompliance. If they felt in danger, why did they not back up 10 paces and call for some backup?

One snarling yet unarmed person atop a vehicle could not be a large enough threat to warrant deadly force.

There is a large portion of the population that is irrational for one reason or another and that law enforcement often must contend with.

We both work in the medical and mental health field. Over the years we have had many threats hurled at us. Someone does not deserve to die just because he is irrational and cannot follow orders.

Our hope is that the police department inquiries will come up with protocols and training programs [to deal with irrational people]. This could ensure that this [type of] incident is not repeated.

DENNIS and SHEREE HOBSON, Southeast Portland

The shooting death of Fouad Kaady is a travesty. Another "shoot now and ask questions later" action that was taken by the ones who are sworn to "serve and protect the public."

The Sandy police officer and Clackamas County sheriff's deputy said that they feared for their lives [because] of a nude man who had been sitting in the street. They stated that he may have had a gun and was acting crazy. I suppose it was good police work that made them suspect he had a weapon hidden in one of the cavities of his body.

There seem to have been more police shootings in the last 10 years than ever before. Part of [my] growing concern is the fact that in most cases, it's only the police who saw what happened.

JERRY SCHNEIDER, Hillsboro