The recent video of five Juneau police officers confronting Steven Kissack— a homeless man — on Front Street and subsequently fatally shooting him when he attempted to run away is a huge abuse of police power.
Normally, I believe police deserve to be cut a little slack from armchair quarterbacking a critical situation. In this case, the video showed the man raising his hands and walking slowly toward them, purportedly with a knife, not charging them as their report stated. He was shot with non-lethal ammunition at that point. He then turned to run up the street, whereupon it appeared all five officers shot him in the back and side with live ammunition, with fatal results. A baton or Taser would have resolved this situation with no risk to the community on Front Street or Steven Kissack. I expect a higher standard from trained officers in this state.
— Mark Goudey
Willow
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