Deadly force necessary?

I’m not a police officer. I work in a comfortable, safe office environment free from the threat of violence and personal injury. I cannot purport to understand what it must be like to be an officer of the law, but I can imagine that it is at times scary and life-threatening (two statements that are knowingly understated).

I know that police officers undergo many, many hours of training in a variety of settings and scenarios to prepare them for the situations they will likely face while on the job. I cannot understand why the officers involved in the shooting death of Mike Kurtz felt deadly force was necessary. I was not there. I was not involved in the matter, but as a reader of the article “Bishop: Shooting could have been prevented,” I can only make my assessment based on what reporter Rachel Alexander wrote, “Kurtz walked toward police holding a knife while telling officers to shoot him.”

How is it that a knife-wielding man poses a threat worthy of deadly force? Again, I wasn’t present and I’m not a police officer. I have no idea what these officers face day in and day out, but there surely could have been other ways to solve the problem. Kurtz deserved a better problem-solving effort on behalf of these highly trained professionals. May he rest in peace and may his son find his way as he grows up without a father.

Terri Echegoyen

Spokane