I don't want to debate tasers or lethal force, or discuss the bazillions of people who die in awful ways every day--because I get that, but right now I just want to talk about her. I heard her frightened voice on the tapes released this week. I hope she can sleep at night. I'm so sad that her husband's final moments were so strange and out of character for him...that they were in an awful situation they couldn't control...that she will give birth to their second child in just a few short months without him...that she will raise their children without him while also dealing with the terrible memories of his last day on earth. May he rest in peace and may his wife and family find solace in faith, in hope, in each other, and in memories of the person that Brian Cardall really was.
I don't know her, if that's not obvious--but I want to write her a letter or give her a hug or bring her dinner or clean her house or something, whatever would help. I just feel so sad for her. I feel sad for all victims of circumstance. Life is not fair.
10 comments:
More and more often I work with children who are mentally disturbed - and I wonder if they will grow up to be like this man - because we are only able to provide "educational" support - and these kids need very comprehensive treatment.
It is a very sad story - but one we ought to be able to find a solution for.
Wow. I don't know a lot about mental illness, but this didn't seem like he was bi-polar unless I read an ill-informed article. Maybe he didn't get the right treatment? Either way it's heartbreaking.
He was just very recently diagnosed bipolar. I don't know very much about him as a person but I got the impression that his episodes were few and far between. His parents and Matt's parents are friends.
Mental illness is often not apparent to others. The more I work with emotionally disturbed kids, the more complex it all becomes. In my field, I am especially disturbed (certainly no pun intended here) because we are trained to deal with academic deficiencies, not emotional or mental ones. And I believe law enforcement maybe doesn't have all the correct training they need either.
Hopefully awareness will lead to some better solutions.
Crazy, crazy story. Very sad.
I know it is not Eliza's intent to debate tasers and lethal force, however by posting this post and the links provided, I feel compelled to comment. I have personally been tased (in training for a full 5 second burst) with the exact taser used in this incident, and have used, and witnessed several tasing incidents, including one where a suicidal young woman was holding a knife to her throat. I am not going to detail all of the incidences where the use of the taser has prevented injury or death to suspects and officers alike. With regard to this incident in particular I also listened to the tapes, and would have reacted in the same manner as the officer who deployed the taser.
From the sounds on the recording you can clearly hear the sound of traffic in the background and the wife shouting, "He thinks he is directing traffic." It appears that Brian presented a definite threat to himself, and could have possibly caused an accident on the highway (which could have involved injuries or even fatalities). It is also important to examine the other options that were available to the officer. Pepper spray- sometimes not effective on mentally ill suspects or intoxicated suspects. Hands on- where
the officer could have ended up on the ground fighting with Brian in the middle of the Highway, or end up getting his gun taken away from him. In my opinion the taser was clearly the best option.
Just last night my partner and I were in a fight with 8 drunk gang members, due to circumstances out of my control (proximity, number of suspects, and lack of time to safely draw the taser) I chose not to deploy the taser. What resulted was an old fashioned knock down drag out fight which resulted in very minor injuries and a pair of ripped pants on my part, and a separated shoulder on the part of the suspect. Had I been able to deploy the taser he probably would not have a separated shoulder.)
In conclusion, as much as my heart goes out to Brian's wife and their poor children who will have to grow up without their father, it is my personal experience that mentally ill individuals are some of the most dangerous people that law enforcement officers come in contact with on a daily basis. As for needing more training with mental illness, as was suggested, I don't feel that was the issue here. You don't have the luxury of time to diagnose people while in a situation such as this. The officer needs to make a split second decision based on the circumstances at the scene in order to gain control and preserve life. In my opinion that is exactly what he did. Even Brian's wife thanked the officer for helping him after he was tased.
One final note. There are several victims in this story. One who is often forgotten is the officer who has to live with knowing that his actions resulted in the loss of Brian's life. Even though I think the officer did exactly what he should have done, that would be a hard to live with.
Actually, Harry, I had you in mind when I said I didn't want to debate tasers. :) I didn't want you to think I was knocking police officers, which I wasn't, at all. Whenever there's something in the news about police officers, I always think of you. I know there is a big debate going on right now in the local community about the police officers' actions--I don't know whether the Cardalls decided to sue or not--and I know that police officers have to make decisions like that instantly.
Thanks for your insight...you are so right about the officer having to live with the end result. I thought the same when I listened to the recording...that those officers have to recover from this tragedy too. I am sure they feel awful about it also.
By the way, I found it interesting how different people react to the story. We all immediately identify with a player based on our own experience. Mom works with people who have mental or psychological problems and first thinks of Brian. I remember how much I needed Matt when we had a 2-year-old and I was pregnant, so I first think of Anna. Harry identifies first with the life-and-death situation confronting the police officer.
Anyway. Something to think about. I guess that's the way it always is--we will always look to our own experience first. It's how we frame our reaction to everything.
I did not think that you were knocking police officers, it was some of the articles that I read which were linked to the story that got me in a lather.
That is so sad! And I noticed the articles I just looked up were definitely on the side of the victim and weren't fair to the officers. It's a horrible situation, and Eliza, I, like you, immediately think about the wife needing her husband! AHHHH!
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