Blame the cops for everything!

Some readers may be aware of events in Pittsburg, PA last Tuesday.

Sciulli and another officer, both in uniform, were driving on Arlington Avenue in a marked police car to respond to a report of shots fired when they spotted Justin Jackson, police said. They stopped because they believed he was carrying a gun, Harper said.

Sciulli ordered Aulf to attack after Jackson pulled a .357 Magnum handgun from under his shirt, police said.

Harper said Jackson began "firing at the officers, and the police officers returned fire."

Investigators initially believed that the officers opened fire after Jackson began shooting at the dog.

"They did not realize that the dog had been shot" until Jackson and the dog lay mortally wounded, Harper said.

The officers and Justin Jackson fired several shots, investigators said.

Aulf was shot in the front legs and chest and pronounced dead on arrival at a veterinary hospital.

"The bullet retrieved from the K-9 was consistent with a .357 (Magnum)," Harper said.

The gun Jackson was carrying had been reported stolen in a 2006 burglary in Elliott, the chief said.

That seems pretty straightforward, right?

Not so fast . . .

"This needs to stop. The police are using excessive force and killing young black men," said the victim's father, Donald Jackson of the West End. "It doesn't make sense. This is terrible, and I want answers."

Mr. Jackson, I can understand that you're grief-stricken at the loss of your son, so I'll refrain from calling you a blithering idiot. Nevertheless, what the hell has your son's race got to do with this? He wasn't shot because he was black - he was shot because he was shooting at police officers! That's not in doubt. Bullets recovered from the dead police dog match the gun he was shooting. Makes perfect sense to me, and it's all the answer I need.

Donald Jackson said witnesses told him his son did not have a gun, and family members said Justin Jackson was not known to carry one.

Oh, really, Mr. Jackson? Then what was he using to shoot at the officers? A slingshot, perhaps? Firing .357 Magnum bullets at lethal velocities?

Court records show Justin Jackson had an arrest record on offenses including firearms violations, simple assault and criminal conspiracy. His last arrest was in April 2007, when he was 18, accused of simple assault and a firearms offense. In that case, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and was sentenced to six to 18 months.

Uh-huh. Why am I not surprised?

Donald Jackson said his son was trying to turn his life around.

"He was a good kid," he said. "He had some trouble as a juvenile, but he was trying to change things. Everyone makes mistakes when they're young, but he didn't deserve this."

Mr. Jackson, good kids don't shoot at cops! As for deserving it: if you shoot at cops in the lawful execution of their duties and responsibilities, you deserve all you get. You may not like that . . . but it won't change things.

"Justin was a happy, normal kid," said his aunt, Scheryl McCoy, 32, of East Liberty. "I'm speechless that this happened. I just don't know what to say. They shot him because of a dog."

Ms. McCoy, Justin may have been happy, but normal, he wasn't. Normal 'kids' don't shoot at cops! And he wasn't shot 'because of a dog' - he was shot because he was shooting at police officers! The fact that he hit the dog, rather than the officers, doesn't mean that they weren't in danger from his bullets. Of course they shot back! Your nephew is dead because he committed a criminal act, endangering the lives of police, who acted in self-defense. It's his fault, no-one else's. Get used to that idea!

The flag outside police headquarters in the North Side flew at half-staff, and some officers wore a black band over their badges to signify they are mourning a fallen officer. Police are planning a memorial service and burial for Aulf on Saturday.

Harper called the shooting "an unfortunate" but justifiable action.

"The officers acted within the guidelines of policy and procedures," he said.

Yep. I've had the privilege of meeting several police dog handlers and their animals. Uniformly, the dogs are regarded as police officers, and they enjoy legal protection as such in most states. I'm sure the local police will miss Aulf, and I hope he'll be remembered for his actions. He went charging into the muzzle of a gun to protect his handler and take down a criminal, and was tragically killed in the process. We have a name for that sort of conduct by humans. We call it heroism. I guess Aulf's a hero to his cop buddies, and rightly so.

As for the deceased's family . . . words fail me. Your son, your relative, chose to behave in a criminally reckless fashion that endangered the lives of others. He demonstrated his disrespect for life by killing a police dog, and I'm willing to bet my pension that he'd have shot the officers as well if he'd had the chance.

At least he won't be shooting anyone else, ever again. For that, at least, I'm thankful.

Peter