In the newspaper business, there are rules. One of those rules says that people who write the stories and columns should not get overly emotional about whatever topic they are writing about.

Fortunately for me, I’m not a journalist; and sometimes speaking one’s mind, or in this case writing, is more important than following the rules.

I’m just someone who writes a weekly column which appears in this newspaper which is not burdened by politically correct absurdity and I’m allowed to call them as I see them.

This is a commentary about the death of a young man. His name was Juan Manuel Nunez III. He was 27 years young.

If you expect this to be similar to what you read in this city’s mainstream newspaper; then you might want to read no further…

For one Lubbock family, an Easter Sunday that began as a day of celebration of family and friends; the special holiday ended up turning into one which, in my opinion, will forever represent another black mark in this city’s historical record. And sadly, one that in the hearts and minds of the people who loved Juan Manuel Nunez III, will forever mark the day that was turned into one of the most tragic events that a family will ever go through. One that I’m sure has people who still believe in right and wrong asking, “Did this really have to happen”?

History will reflect that on that day in 2006, a young man’s life of 27 years was brought to a sudden standstill in a matter of minutes. What I am curious to know, is whether this city’s history will show why something this tragic did happen. I seriously doubt it.

As is usually the case in a situation like this, right now there are more questions than answers. And for those of us who are familiar with this city’s history that should really come as no surprise. Anytime someone dies in a violent way, it is at the very least disturbing to us all. But when someone dies at the hands of someone who has sworn to “serve and protect”, then it becomes our responsibility, and those that are charged with the public’s safety, to find out exactly what happened.

In a case such as this, we may never find out.

Excuse my display of skepticism, but I fail to understand how something like

this can happen in this city and it gets, what can at best be called one-dimensional coverage: news coverage that only leaves us wondering “just what the hell happened”?

Unfortunately, at this point, all we have been “exposed” to is a police department spokesman who assures us that the officer involved, Matt Doherty who recently graduated from the police academy, followed Lubbock police department procedure when answering a 911 hang-up call in Northwest Lubbock. All we have to go on is local news reports which only, (once again) leave us trying to understand how this could have happened; they all come off as defending the policeman’s side of the story. So much for “we’re on your side” and “we dig deep”, and whatever other dumb slogan kind of television reporting we are bombarded with on a daily basis.

The reports barely seem to scratch the surface of the incident, and they especially don’t penetrate the shield of a police department who so far has not even bothered to show any compassion or sense of condolence for a family’s loss.

Don’t believe me? Have you seen Lubbock Chief of Police Claude Jones on any of the local television stations addressing the family? Expressing his condolences to a family whose lives have been forever changed, due to their loss? Or reassuring the rest of us that he will do everything in his power so that the very citizens who sign his paycheck will find out what happened; so that it doesn’t happen again? For that matter, have you seen Mayor Marc McDougal or any of the other city council members, or the city manger who has direct oversight of the police chief, commenting on this situation? The answer is No! Of course not! All you see is comments “defending” the use of a TASER and already exonerating the officer involved by blaming the death on excessive alcohol and a blow to the head.

Really now, then why did the medical examiners office not reveal the young man’s blood alcohol content? How high was it?

Let’s call it like it is, the Lubbock police department seems to be more concerned with not exposing themselves to future civil litigation and are doing everything in their power to use the local media to make their case.

Yes, I realize that in this country, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. The question is does the

police department? Maybe the officer rushed to judgment in this case? And by all indications, the LPD sure seems convinced that the officer acted properly; even before all the facts are in.

Maybe I am no better than them in taking the opposite position in this matter; the big difference is that these are the people we have to depend on to police this city and protect its citizens.

In cases such as these, I must admit that I am biased. But then, so is the police department biased. Their bias is based on the fact, or so it seems, that presumes that any person is a “potential threat” to their safety and they must be controlled at any cost. Perhaps even at the expense of that person’s very life.

Even the county’s medical examiners office seems to be hedging its bets. The chief investigator with the Lubbock County Medical Examiner’s office, Robert Beyers, was quoted in the local AJ as saying that the death was a “combination of the intoxication reacting with the brain injury, which was a result of the TASER”. Huh? Don’t people speak in plain English anymore? That’s about as non committal as you can get. The report goes on to say that Beyers “would not elaborate on how the three together killed” Mr. Nunez.

Once again, that told us nothing!

My bias also is based on the fact, that people throughout this country have, time after time, died after being tasered. But still police departments insist on using this increasingly dangerous weapon without so much as a concern that TASERS are dangerous. Yet barely anything has been done about it.

In case you doubt my argument, then you probably did not hear about the lady in Florida who on April 24th, just a couple of days ago, was tasered while sitting in her wheelchair because she was seen as a threat to the safety of the police officers dispatched to the scene of a family dispute. How on earth can a woman sitting in a wheelchair who was not holding a gun be considered a threat to anybody? She too died.

I did not know Mr. Nunez. But I do know that if time and time again, the record shows that people who are intoxicated or on drugs have a good chance of dying if they are tasered, then it is the responsibility of police

departments everywhere to rethink and revise their policies regarding the use of TASERS.

In reality, Mr. Nunez and his family are the victims of a flawed system? A system which shows no compassion towards a family when something like this happens. A system that makes sure that they are right at any cost. A system who would send a recently graduated police officer out without proper backup; a police officer who did not wait for back up to arrive. And, a system which continues to exhibit a double standard which is dependent on who or what you are.

But are there any others? I contend that perhaps we all may be potential victims.

Need I remind you of the old saying, “there but for the Grace of God go I”.

As I said, sometimes it’s more important to speak one’s mind than not to.





Email: acruztsc@aol.com