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Case raises questions
Recent Otto Zehm case revelations raise disturbing questions of injustice.
Why didn’t Officer Thompson engage verbally in any discussion with Otto before billy-clubbing him? Was Otto given a chance to explain that he had done nothing illegal? Why didn’t the police department admit at the time that it was a violation of policy?
Why was a mask placed on Otto’s face that was designed to have an oxygen tube inserted so he could breathe without inserting a tube and providing oxygen? Why would officers then hog-tie Otto and put pressure on his back while he was lying on his stomach, making it more difficult for him to breathe? Why would medical personnel watch this occur without interfering?
It is first-degree manslaughter if a death results from recklessness and “a person is reckless or acts recklessly when he or she knows of and disregards a substantial risk that a wrongful act may occur and his or her disregard of such substantial risk is a gross deviation from conduct that a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation.”
Were these the actions of reasonable people? Justice mandates that the law apply equally to everyone, including police officers and medical personnel.
Don Brockett
Former prosecuting attorney
Spokane