Vet Shot in Kansas City—PTSD Involved

For John, BLUF:  No excess force, please.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I hope there is more to this story than is in the article.

From The Washington Examiner we have an article by reporter Sean Higgins, headlined "Soldier with PTSD killed in SWAT team standoff told to wait 30 days for Veterans Affairs care".  From the lede:

Iraq War veteran Issac Sims was killed Sunday by Kansas City, Mo., police after a standoff at his family home.  Sims suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and been told he could not get care from the local Veterans Administration center for another 30 days.

Sims, 26, had gotten into an argument with his father Sunday and reportedly fired off a gun multiple times inside and outside the home. Police responded to reports of the shooting and subsequently called in the SWAT team.  When Sims emerged from the house 5 hours later with a rifle, he was shot dead.  Officers stated he pointed the gun at them.

In a wired world, why did the police not know that Mr Sims was suffering from PTSD?  With a SWAT Team present, why was there a need to respond to Mr Sims, rather than wait him out?  Yes, he pointed his gun at someone, maybe.  But, was that a threat to the SWAT Team?  If the response is to shoot to kill, why invest in the riot control agents and stun grenades, in heavy body armor, ballistic shields and armored vehicles?

This needs a thorough investigation and a public report, but I doubt we will see either.  Lack of transparency will hurt us over the long run.  It may well have been a righteous shoot, but that needs to be demonstrated by a transparent analysis and a public report.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff