After two weeks of an intensive civil trial, LMPD Officer Mike O'Neil and his former partner Brian Luckett were vindicated once again. The wrongful death suit brought about by family members of the deceased. James Taylor along with their attorney Aubrey Williams made spurious and ludicrous claims that the Police were at fault for the course of action James Taylor chose when he attacked them.
James Taylor was high on crack cocaine. He attacked two Police Officers while handcuffed and tried to gut them with a large box cutter. Had he been able to approach them any closer the razor blade of the utility knife would have left them disemboweled and dead. Mike O'Neil did everything he could to stop James Taylor that day. He ordered him to stop. He tried to kick the knife out of his hands. Finally he had to resort to deadly force in order to protect his own life.
A grand Jury listened to all of the testimony of the December 5, 2002 shooting and decided that Officer O'Neil was justified in using deadly force to protect his own life. A jury in the civil trial came back after 2 hours of deliberation with the same conclusion. Mike O'Neil was the victim here. James Taylor attacked him and he was forced to defend himself. Had Mr. Taylor made some better life choices, like not using drugs, obeying the law, etc he would not have put Officer O'Neil in the position that he did that day.
Unfortunately there continues to be a segment of this society that thinks it is societies fault or that it is the governments fault and more specifically the Police Departments fault when some dirtball decides to go on a rampage. Louis Coleman commented that he could dodge a knife or an ax swung at him. Louis, unless you were a ninja in a former life, then get real! These clueless people that make stupid comments on things they know absolutely nothing about continue to amaze me. Louis also thinks we should be more sensitive to people in these situations. What situations Louis? Tell me how I can be sensitive to a drug crazed man trying to murder me! Should I give him a hug? Should I throw a teddy bear his way and come back later? In case you and others have forgotten the Police have a duty to protect the public from people like James Taylor.
It is time for people to realize that most of society obeys the law. Most of society follows the rules. There is a segment of society that pays no attention to the rules. Members of this group couldn't care less what anyone thinks about them. They aren't waiting to be saved by social reform. They live outside everything an average person considers normal behavior. Unfortunately the Police Officers have to face these people so that the average, law abiding, tax paying citizen does not have to meet him in some dark alley. The verdict this week was yet another example that the average person is not going to put up with the small segment of society that endangers the entire community. I guess some of our local activists think we should put up some billboards and advertise in the media to warn bad guys that they could get hurt or killed if they try to hurt or kill a Police Officer. Maybe I haven't been playing fair all these years. I suppose that in spite of everything that goes on I should allow some dirt bag to shoot me or cut me so that I don't upset his family.
There is nothing worse than having to make a choice resulting in a life and death decision, but when it comes down to the bad guy or me, I plan on going home. I hope and pray the community will continue to stand up for the good guys like they did again today. I hope that today's verdict sends a strong message to the criminal element of our society.
For the past several years Mike O'Neil and Brian Luckett have been called every derogatory name you can imagine by the 'other side'. They were cleared after a departmental investigation. They were cleared by the FEDS. They were cleared by a Grand Jury. Now they have been cleared in the civil trial. They have continued to hold their heads up proudly and continue to serve the community because that is their job. Now they can begin putting their lives back together as well.
A police Officers job is not to die for his community although he would to protect someone. We have an obligation to the community and to ourselves and our families to come home every night so that we can go out the next day and continue to protect and serve our community. Mike O'Neil and Brian Luckett deserve better than an acquittal, they deserve our thanks and praise for going out and facing a drug crazed demon intent on killing them and surviving the encounter.