Danville, Ohio police officers were on high alert this past Sunday night when a woman called in to report that her ex-boyfriend was out and, “looking to kill a cop.” Unfortunately, police officer Thomas Cottrell became a victim of Herschel Ray Jones’ targeting.
The Huffington Post reports that on Sunday, Jan. 17, around 11:20 p.m., authorities received a call from a woman stating that Jones was looking to kill a police officer. They also report that:
“About 20 minutes after the initial call to dispatchers, Cottrell was found dead. Just after 1:30 a.m., Jones was seen running from a home and was captured near Danville Park after a short foot chase, officials said.”
In a short piece from CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, the woman that called in the report can be heard warning the 911 dispatcher by saying:
“Yes, I’m in danger…but cops in Danville are in danger too…My ex-boyfriend’s out in camo looking to kill a cop. He’s got my house keys, he’s got my truck keys, he’s got guns on him. He’s already beaten me and threatened to kill me.”
Baldwin then reports that:
“Not long after that call came in, Officer Tom Cottrell was found shot and killed, his body a few feet away from the police station, his service weapon and his squad car missing.”
While police officers have been highly scrutinized lately for some horrible offenses, people sometimes forget that there are many good police officers also. Officer Cottrell was killed simply because of the uniform he was wearing. While a deeper personal motive from the killer is sure to surface in the days to come, perspective is key at times like these.
If the mainstream media is willing to devote hours towards a bad police officer, can we at least acknowledge the killing of an innocent one for longer than a few minutes? Maybe if there was a slight indication of Muslim extremist ties they would be all over it. Also, can we at least acknowledge that Officer Cottrell was a victim of gun violence? The good guy with a gun didn’t win this time.
While I despise police overreach in any form, I also believe that there are many good police officers that literally put their lives on the line daily for all of us. I have met many myself. Unfortunately, they do not get the same amount of news coverage.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6lFDbUACd8&w=853&h=480]
