After news broke last week that former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges against him in the death of George Floyd, social media erupted with responses on both sides of the verdict. Some called the verdict justified, while others sided with police, all while others simply had no opinion on the matter.

A Texas sheriff is now in the spotlight after he took to the sheriff's office Facebook page to respond to what he called "stories of young people being shot by police in some type of altercation or another". Throckmorton County Sheriff Doc Wigington says that the public is quick to decide whether or not an officer's actions were necessary during an escalated situation.

Throckmorton County is 3 hours west of Dallas.

In the post, Wigington says that when officers decide to use deadly force, that deadly force is intended.

"Officers have to make decisions of life and death in a matter of seconds that attorney's, judges, and the general public can debate for years and possibly forever," he says. "It easy to post an opinion on social media as to "how I would have handled it" instead of armchair quarterbacks we now have armchair police."

Wigington says that anyone that thinks they could de-escalate a situation better than current officers are encouraged to join an academy and become an officer.

Earlier this month, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police after the officer thought she pulled a Taser. Wright allegedly tried to flee from police during a traffic stop.

According to Wigington, the level of respect given to officers and anyone in authority beings at home.

"IT IS NOT THE JOB OF THE OFFICER TO RAISE YOUR KID," he said. "Parents need to take responsibility for the actions of their FAILURE to raise their child to be respectful, responsible and listen to authority figures."

Wigington added that, "sometimes your kid is wrong and needs to be disciplined".

The Facebook post has been shared over 300 times with many people in the comment section supporting law enforcement. Other commenters share their concerns regarding people with mental health concerns that come into contact with officers. Others shared that there is still a difference between good and bad officers - most being good.

I'd like to hear your opinion on Wigington's post. You can read it in full below and let us know your thoughts on our Facebook page.

In the news cycle over the last few weeks have been stories of young people being shot by police in some type of...

Posted by Throckmorton County Sheriff's Office on Friday, April 23, 2021

 

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