It used to be that schools were considered some of the safest places, facilities where parents sent their children to learn. These days, it appears schools are turning into the wild wild west. After violent school shootings and mass injuries and deaths have ripped through the American consciousness, more violence has happened. At Florida's Atlantic University, the police have shot and wounded a homeless man who was on the roof of a building and brandishing a knife.
Are Students at Risk of Injury from Violence at School
What's shocking about this police shooting is that it appears to come at the apex to some difficult debates raging in America. On the one hand, mental health advocates are insisting upon health care options for the mentally ill who are accused of committing the crimes that have injured so many students and teachers. On another hand, debates rage across the country on how best to stop violence in the schools that injure staff and students. And in various regions, debates on police brutality rage on.
It seems that in response to a homeless man flailing about with a knife on the roof of a building, shooting the man might have been a bit egregious. Police are quick to point out that the research facility was on an end of campus that was pretty isolated. They further assert that there was zero danger of injury to staff or students. If this is so, why did the police shoot the homeless man? Couldn't they have tased him instead to subdue him? Why did they have to injure the homeless man with a bullet wound to subdue him?
Perhaps what's telling is the apparent overzealous response to potential violence on campus. The climate around violence on school campuses is super charged, electric. The thought of parading more injured school children and staff on television is too much for law enforcement to bear. But did the homeless man with a knife deserve to be shot and injured?
These violent actions are a concern for community members across the nation. As these violent outbursts seem to increase, the answers remain few and the questions grow larger and more numerous. While we cannot say for certain the causes behind this violent behavior, we can control our responses. This shooting appeared excessive on many levels and could have injured children. If you or your loved one suffers an injury on campus, you should immediately call a skilled personal injury attorney to obtain help.
