When people learn what I do, it is not unusual for them to share a story from their past or present. Patrolman Homer Evans (not his real name) agreed to share the story below in the hope that it might benefit others.
It was mid-day in Danish Beach, a town described by a real estate web site as “safer than 5% of cities in the United States.” (Of course, this means it is more dangerous than 95% of U.S. cities, the reason being that violent crime is three times the national median.) Violet Walker left her two year old son home alone in her duplex, asking the neighbors to keep an eye on him while she went to a nearby tavern. She returned in the late afternoon, intoxicated and in no mood to put up with any hassles. Her son, in the way of two-year-olds everywhere, was unrelenting in his demands for attention. Violet soon began shouting at him to leave her alone. The neighbors, one thin wall away, were accustomed to these arguments but when they heard Violet threaten to shoot her son, they called the police.
Violet’s neighborhood was in the County jurisdiction, but the sheriffs were tied up so the dispatcher asked for any available police units in the area. Across the county line but only two blocks away, Patrolman Evans agreed to respond. One block away, the dispatcher reported that a shot had been fired.
To be continued.
Tags: PTSD
