Another day, another white-on-black police murder

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The article at the website of WXIA, an Atlanta NBC affiliate, isn't clear. "A DeKalb County police officer shot and killed a naked, unarmed man at an apartment complex Monday afternoon." The guy was "acting deranged," said the police chief. "When the male saw the officer, he charged, running at the officer. The officer called to him to stop, while stepping backward. He then drew his weapon and fired two shots."

And that was that. No taser, no pepper spray, nothing else. The officer used his gun, shot twice, and killed the naked man running amok.

There will be an investigation. And, more than likely, it will be concluded that the officer did what he had to do, that the shooting, that the killing, was justified.

You know how it works.

But is that the whole story? And will that be the end of it?

Because the WXIA article leaves out a couple of rather essential details, particularly given what has happened across the country, time and again, to much public attention lately. And for those details we need to look elsewhere, for example to the Times:

Naked Black Man Fatally Shot by White Police Officer in Georgia

Ah. Of course.

I wonder if that had anything to do with it.