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Off-duty El Cajon cop kills beer thief in Santee
Please read my clarification/comment below as it appears some readers may have misinterpreted my statements.— July 2, 2016 12:12 p.m.
Off-duty El Cajon cop kills beer thief in Santee
I wish to clarify something in the article. I did not describe Ms. Standsfield, Christopher St. Louis, or his friends as "white trash." To the contrary, I said these were not upper- middle-class kids raised with all the same financial and social benefits of kids in La Jolla. They didn't all come from the best homes with a lot of direction in life. Like many/most teenage boys, they got into trouble, but they were good kids who had each other. Crystal Stansfield is a hard-working mom, good woman, loved her son and was doing her best to raise a good man. Quite frankly, they are the kind of friends I would like to have: they were/are loyal and would lay down their lives for their friends and family. These kids were not out to hurt anyone. When asked if they were people who some would describe as white trash, I responded yes. I don't believe that to be an accurate description and it is not a description/judgement I would make of anyone. The fact remains, this was the general picture the defense was trying to paint (without the label) and how people/jurors may have concluded. The point I was trying to make is that such a description/ perception is wrong. What happened was an outrage and I wish the legal outcome had been very different. Had this been a situation where a private citizen took Officer Webb's actions (who by all accounts appeared to be a private citizen as she was without a uniform or identification and, according to witnesses, never identified herself as a cop during the incident), chased teenage boys stealing beer with a gun drawn and ultimately shot and killed one of the boys, different standards would likely have applied. In fact, had she actually been a private citizen pointing a gun at Christopher, who presented no physical or life-threat to anyone, he would have had every right to exercise sufficient force to protect his life. The same standard should have applied here. My heart continues to break for Ms. Standsfield and her loss.— July 2, 2016 7:13 a.m.