(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

In April of last year, a man who was serving as a pallbearer at his father’s funeral in Harrison County was fatally shot. This week, a special prosecutor said charges will not be brought against the officers who killed him.

Jason Arnie Owens was on parole at the time of the funeral, after he carried out a sentence for 2021 charges of fleeing and the attempted strangulation of a deputy sheriff. One can piece together why officers might have had a special interest in his case.

Owens allegedly attempted to pull a gun on officers as they tried to arrest him for parole violation during the funeral, though witnesses maintain that was not the case.

“The involved officers acted appropriately and were involved in no wrongdoing or criminal actions,” State Police Sgt. C.D. Whetzel, the lead investigator, said of the shooting.

Without having more information as to the reason for tracking down Owens at the funeral, it certainly comes across to the general public as a problematic strategy. Any operation that results in the dead man’s blood spattered onto his 18-year-old son’s shirt will raise questions.

Owens had an extensive history of criminal activity and was carrying a concealed firearm.

While most of us are fortunate not to be able to understand the kinds of split-second decisions law enforcement officers make, still it is worth wondering whether the officers overreacted and later fell back on the claim of “self defense.”

Whatever the case, it is another reminder of how important it is for law enforcement to have the most rigorous training in doing their jobs while avoiding lethal force. Such incidents are becoming all too regular in West Virginia.

According to World Population Review, six officer-involved shootings have happened statewide so far this year. News across the country reminds us such incidents are a problem in too many other states as well.

To the best of their ability — and backed up by extensive training — officers must feel it necessary to rely on lethal force only in the rarest of obvious threats to officers or others at the scene, when no other means of neutralizing a suspect is available. Those in positions of leadership in law enforcement agencies at all levels must do their utmost to provide that training and impress upon officers the seriousness of such a responsibility.