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A tragedy, yes., but facts are facts

One Memphis television station’s headline read: “EXCLUSIVE: Family of man killed by West Memphis police demands answers.”

Another Memphis station has been running a story and photo of the man and his female companion, who was also killed Wednesday evening, Jan. 16, which had an interview with the couples families discussing their troubled past.

Our condolences to both families but on behalf of the injured police officer who was deliberately hit by the couple’s “HIJACKED” vehicle let us hope and pray he has a full recovery and can return to the job he has such a passion for and that is to “SERVE AND PROTECT.”

So, let’s preface this fact revealing commentary by pointing out that more law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2018 than the year before, driving a 12 percent overall increase in the number of police officers who died on the job. In 2018 a shocking 144 federal, state and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty — a rise from the 129 police officers who died on the job in 2017.

Already, in just the first few weeks of January seven police officers have died in the line of duty, not to mention those injured including our very own police officer who sustained serious leg injuries after being struck by this stolen vehicle driving and occupied by De'Angelo Brown, 30 and Megan Rivera, 22.

Brown’s brother, Lem a rut ¡us Clyburn told News Channel 3 in a FaceTime interview the families are “demanding justice and say they want answers.”

Well Mr. Clyburn, let us say from the FACTS as we know them JUSTICE has been served and the FACTS Mr.

Clyburn are plain and very clear to understand.

It should not be to mentally challenging to understand that this all began with a ROUTINE traffic stop that escalated into a “HIGH SPEED” chase that ended at 18th Street and McAulley where six officers were able to stop the HIJACKED vehicle Brown and Rivera were in.

One of the officers, who we know but won’t identify at the request of authorities, attempted to approach the vehicle and that is when the driver struck and attempted to run over him.

After the officers was struck is when the other officers were forced to use their weapons to defend the injured officer as well as themselves. Let us also make it clear that during the stop the driver of the HIJACKED vehicle rammed three police vehicles before attempting to run over the police officer.

The injured police officer was transported to Regional 1 in Memphis where he was treated for his injuries and later released.

The entire investigation has been turned over to the Arkansas State Police and upon completion will be submitted to Second District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington for final determination, which we feel very confident will result in a total justification on the part of these police officers.

This entire incident is a clear and perfect example of a total disregard for another human being’s life, authority or the law. This could have all been avoided and these two individuals would be alive today had they simply obeyed the commands of the police officers who were simply doing their job.

The media, which is good at stirring up controversy should not turn this situation into something that is not, nor should our police officers be wrongfully targeted for the sole purpose of stirring up cop-hating controversy.