What to do when you see the blue light
The Grand Jury in Tupelo voted no-bill on Tupelo officer Tyler Cook after he shot and killed Antwun Shumpert after he ran from a traffic stop. Why did he run? Was he hiding something illegal?
It doesn’t matter, really. He fled from the police in a lawful traffic stop and paid for his foolishness with his life.
White-officer/black-victim incidents seem to have been on the rise since the Rodney King incident years ago, and especially since the Ferguson, Missouri, incident a few years back.
… Shumpert’s relatives have every right to ask the federal government to investigate this incident, but be prepared to accept the same verdict. They have filed, or intend to file, a $35 million lawsuit against Tupelo. Why?
… I hope everybody takes note of this and learns a lesson. Do not run from the police. Do exactly what officers tell you without hesitation. The officer might be wrong, but debating it on the street isn’t the answer.
Years ago I had a red ’64 1/2 Mustang (I’d give my eye teeth if I still had it). Some friends and I were following directions to another friend’s house late one evening in south Mississippi when a red Javelin passed me going wide open. It was barely out of sight when the bright headlights of an LTD got on my rear bumper. Then came the blue light on top.
The highway patrolman who pulled me over was chasing the car that passed me. He reeked of whiskey; his shirt was half out of his trousers; his tie was askew and he was unsteady on his feet. I told him what happened and he just kept writing the ticket, so I suggested we go see the judge right now. His reply was it’s suppertime, and my brother-in-law doesn’t like to have his supper disturbed.
Gimme the ticket. I sent in a check to the judge’s office, and a few weeks later got a letter informing me that if I didn’t appear in court a warrant for my arrest would be issued. I xeroxed the check, sent to the judge, and wrote on it how many times do I have to pay this ticket? He wrote back they didn’t accept personal checks for fines, but since his secretary had erred in cashing mine, consider it over.
The point? I would have been justified if I had resisted the ticket, but doing so would have been breaking the law. It was better to pay a small fine and let everything be over than to create a big hassle.
That’s been close to 50 years ago, and I still do not argue with an officer when I am stopped for any reason. Tell it to the judge, in court, and everybody gets to go home when it’s over.
Cameron Triplett
Brooksville
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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