There are moments when a community isn’t looking for someone to blame. Instead they are looking for someone to explain.
The death of 22-year-old Shawn West Jr. has left many people in Sampson County searching for those explanations. As the State Bureau of Investigation continues its review of the officer-involved shooting, it is important to allow that process to run its course. Facts — not assumptions —must ultimately guide whatever conclusions are reached.
But allowing an investigation to proceed does not require the public to remain silent.
It is entirely reasonable to ask why a young man who was reportedly one day removed from receiving mental health treatment ultimately died in an encounter with law enforcement. It is reasonable to ask whether every practical de-escalation technique was considered and whether officers had the training and resources necessary to respond to someone in a mental health crisis.
Those questions are not an indictment of every law enforcement officer. They aren’t even an indictment of those involved. They are questions born from tragedy and a desire to prevent another such incident from occurring.
Responding to someone experiencing a mental health crisis is among the most difficult situations officers face. These encounters are unpredictable and often unfold in seconds. Officers have a duty to protect the public, one another and themselves, but they also carry a responsibility to preserve life whenever possible.
Across the country, officers have successfully resolved dangerous encounters involving people in crisis using Tasers, pepper spray, less-lethal rounds, shields, crisis intervention techniques and, at times, simple patience and communication. Not every situation allows for those options, but that reality makes the questions even more important.
Were less-lethal options available? If so, why weren’t they used? If they weren’t available, why not? Did responding officers receive specialized mental health crisis training? Those are legitimate questions that deserve answers — not because the public has already reached a verdict, but because a life was lost.
The conversation also extends beyond law enforcement.
Long before deputies encountered Shawn West Jr., the mental health system had been introduced to him.
North Carolina has spent decades reducing state-operated psychiatric facilities while placing greater emphasis on community-based care. While that model has helped many people, families in rural communities continue to struggle to find inpatient treatment, long-term care and immediate crisis services. Too often, law enforcement becomes the first responder because there is nowhere else to turn.
If our state wants to reduce tragedies like this, lawmakers must examine whether enough has been invested in mental health treatment and crisis response. Counties need stronger partnerships, better resources and more intervention before a crisis reaches the point of requiring a law enforcement response.
Supporting law enforcement and demanding accountability are not opposing ideas.
Transparency builds trust. Better training saves lives. Stronger mental health resources save lives.
If this investigation concludes that deadly force was legally justified, the community deserves to understand why. If it identifies shortcomings in policy, training or resources, the public deserves to know that as well.
One young man is gone. A family is grieving. A community is asking difficult questions.
Those questions deserve honest answers, when they can reasonably be answered during an ongoing probe — not because of politics or public pressure, but because every tragedy should challenge us to ask whether there was another way and what can be done to keep it from happening again.