What a former APD officer says about the Anthoneil Williams shooting
"Civilians, especially children, should not have to act perfectly to be safe."
I haven't yet commented on the case of Anthoneil Williams, the 17-year-old shot to death by three APD officers the other week.
APD Chief Lisa Davis has theorized that Williams, who prompted the officers to fire when he reached down into his waistband (it was later revealed he had a water bottle), was seeking a "suicide by police." Unbeknownst to the officers at the time, it was Williams who had earlier called 911 reporting a young man who appeared to be fidgeting with a gun in his waistband.
Like most police shootings that I've seen in Austin, I do not expect the officers to be professionally or criminally sanctioned. But just like most of the other shootings, I think this one reveals a serious problem in how police operate, particularly with those in mental crisis.
I corresponded with a former APD officer who sharply criticized the response. I was only given permission to print the following on the condition that I would withhold the former officer's name. I bolded claims that I found particularly relevant:
