This is probably a sign of the times and the times are not great, even in Texas. An incident that took place outside of Dallas back on Halloween turned out to be a particularly nasty trick and not a treat at all. A routine automobile accident had occurred and a couple of police officers were on the scene as the drivers waited for a tow truck to arrive. Then, with no warning or provocation, gunfire was heard. What had started as one of the most typical things you’re likely to see on any roadway had suddenly turned dangerous and it was obvious that the police officers were being fired upon. (CBS Dallas – Ft. Worth)
The investigation continues into finding who shot at four officers while they were helping victims of a traffic accident at the intersection of John West Road and La Prada Drive.
The shooting happed on October 31, 2020, at 6:58 p.m.
Two Dallas police officers along with two Mesquite officers — all in uniform — were targeted.
While waiting on a tow truck for one of the cars involved in the accident, one of the officers heard a shot come from behind their location. Immediately following the initial shot, 4-5 additional shots were fired. The officers took cover and called for an assist officer.
Thankfully, despite as many as a half dozen shots being fired, none of the officers or the motorists were injured. After calling for backup and ensuring that the motorists took cover, the officers began searching for the shooter or shooters. The CBS report describes what we so often hear about police officers and other first responders. In their efforts to locate the suspect, they “ran toward the area of the gunshots.”
Unfortunately, the cops weren’t able to locate that shooter or shooters at that time. They’re seeking information from any potential witnesses who may be able to help identify them.
Given the “local news” nature of this story, you may be wondering why we’re talking about it here. The reason is rather simple. This wasn’t a case where the cops were in the middle of confronting a potentially violent suspect and wound up involved in a dangerous situation. They were answering a report of a minor vehicular accident. But someone who saw them decided they were targets and needed to be taken out.
The fact that the shooter(s) turned out to be an incompetent marksman was only a matter of luck. This story could have ended far more tragically, as others from Dallas have in the past. So why is this happening now, right in the middle of all the other garbage that 2020 has been serving up on a seemingly daily basis?
There is an attitude among certain groups of people in this country that police officers are the real problem facing society, not the criminals they protect us from. We see it on display during BLM marches every week. Those messages are picked up and amplified in the media and by liberal political candidates and elected officials. Some are satisfied with merely defunding the police. Others continue with their calls to abolish the police. But as we see from this story out of Dallas, there are people out there who will seek to opt for a much more direct and drastic “solution” to the “problem” of police officers.
Until a suspect is in custody, we won’t know their motive with any certainty. But how else do you explain the seemingly “random” gunfire attack launched on some officers who were doing nothing more than assisting and ensuring the safety of some random motorists?
There are clearly forces at work out there that are seeking the destruction of law and order in favor of chaos. This is yet another example of why we don’t need to be trying to “empty the jails” or “abolish the police.” On the contrary, we need to be stiffening up our laws and sending a significant message to those who would consider similar actions. Anyone who attacks the cops needs to be put away in prison for a very long time. Anyone who kills a police officer should be eligible for the death penalty. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but an attack on the police is not just an attack on an individual man or woman. It’s an attack on the uniform. It’s an attack on the fabric of civil society. And it should be treated with the appropriate level of seriousness it merits.
