An editorial in the Lancaster Ingtelligencer Journal opines “ David Giliberti, a bright, talented and admirable young man by all accounts, died in his home in Lititz, shot by a borough police officer after a violent confrontation.
“This is a tragedy for all of us.
“For the dead man and his family and friends, for the veteran officer put in the place where he felt he had no choice but to pull the trigger on another man, and for the society built by the rest of us, which failed all of them.
“Giliberti’s clinical diagnosis was bipolar disorder. The two other men killed by police in Lancaster County this year were described in news reports as ‘a homeless man with a history of mental illness’ and a man with ‘a history of alcohol-related legal troubles and depression.’ ” …
WATCHDOG: Three wags of the tail for the Intell editors who have addressed what so many have talked about: The unnecessary killing of mentally disturbed citizens by either improperly trained or gun happy police.
What happened to either retreating, stun guns, or shooting someone in the leg? Why shoot a person multiple times, each time lethally?
We find it difficult to discern much different between these police actions and homicide, if not second degree murder.
Although this was not the Newslanc response when the homeless man was shot last summer, I applaud your reconsideration. Unfortunately police all over the country are arming themselves with military equipment. It is not unusual for police tactical assault teams to invade homes, many of which are invaded because of administrative error with tragic results.
EDITOR: We were concerned about the death of the homeless man but were not in position to research the matter so did not comment. The Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. presumably has knowledge of the event.