Letter writer responds to officer shootings

David Winger in his June 7 letter ('Officers don't shoot suspects to kill”) says 'officers are not trained to shoot to kill,” but then he says they're trained to shoot into the 'upper thoracic cavity.”

How stupid are we supposed to be? Shooting into such an area is sure to kill. When did law enforcement personnel make the unpublicized change from round- nose non-expanding bullets to the most deadly expanding/explosive type, which are killers? The Army is limited to non-expanding ball ammo.

He also says 'officers hesitate far too long and too often” before shooting. A local newspaper tells me 'in 2013, 27 law enforcement personnel were feloniously killed in line of duty.” Forty-nine were accidentally killed.

How many unarmed and non-attacking citizens are gunned down by law enforcement personnel within a year? I'd guess the number would be in the thousands, but Winger says they hesitate too long. Are those common citizens trash compared with law enforcement personnel?

This letter is not anti-law enforcement personnel. We need more enforcement to prevent dangerous drivers from killing anyone.

I know of a very few cases where law enforcement personnel (or anyone) should have shot attackers, but didn't.

Near Sumner in 2012, law enforcement personnel were outgunned and our police chief was permanently maimed by two bad criminals. Also, in two cases near Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, law enforcement personnel were badly injured. In these three cases, if law enforcement personnel had shot their attackers, I would call it justified.

Herman Lenz

Sumner