Two top local cops wrote a response to the controversial Olympia police shooting last week.
The op-ed title: "You don't get to assault police officers."
Steve Strachan, chief of the Bremerton Police Department, and Kitsap County Sheriff Gary Simpson wrote the opinion piece published in the Kitsap Sun. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the piece had been shared 4,930 from the newspaper website alone.
"Black lives matter," they wrote. "All lives matter, and words matter.
"The way we communicate and the impression we leave matters. In the ongoing controversy and public debate over police and community relations, up to and including the recent events in Olympia, two things really need to be part of the conversation: First, we all need to be more aware of the underlying 'spin' in messages and headlines about so-called 'police violence' and second, we absolutely have to focus on the fact that it is not acceptable, ever, to attack or assault police officers."
The piece called out news stories for messages and implications in headlines and story text, including KOMO television ("Olympia cop shoots two unarmed men suspected of stealing beer") and KUOW radio. ("The two, unarmed black men shot by a white Olympia police officer early Thursday morning are expected to survive.")
Strachan and Simpson wrote that the implication was that the men were shot for shoplifting, not for the reported assault on the officer.
Click here to read the full opinion piece in the Kitsap Sun.
The officer at the center of the incident reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard before the May 21 shooting that injured Bryson Chaplin, 21, and 24-year-old Andre Thompson. The two half-brothers are black; the officer is white.
Tuesday night, several people were protesting police at Olympia City Hall. There were also police supporters there backing the officer.
Demonstrator Gary Clover openly showed support for Olympia police and said the officer seemed to do the right thing considering the situation.
"I believe the police are doing their job and need to defend themselves," he told The Olympian.
As Clover stood in front of City Hall, a woman stood next to him holding a sign with an arrow that pointed to Clover. It read: "This is what white supremacy looks like."
Many who showed up wanted to speak at the Tuesday evening City Council meeting and the council expanded its public comment period to allow them to do so. Speakers expressed concerns about the shooting and about "bullets flying" in their neighborhood.
City Police Chief Ronnie Roberts spoke, outlining a time line for the shooting investigation.
The officer, Ryan Donald, was interviewed Tuesday, Thurston County sheriff's Chief Deputy Brad Watkins said earlier, adding a final report into the shooting is weeks away. The sheriff's office is leading the investigation with other law enforcement agencies.
Detectives interviewed Thompson last week. Watkins said they would like to interview Chaplin but his family has hired a lawyer and it wasn't clear whether Chaplin would provide a statement.
The investigation is in its final stages but it could take a few weeks for evidence to be tested by the state crime lab, Watkins said. A final report will be sent to the Thurston County prosecutor for review and potential charges.
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