For many trying to justify the Corey Ruiz shooting, it comes down to this: 'He had it coming'

By Joseph McCleer

I have seen two main arguments justifying the police shooting of Corey Ruiz over the past several days.

The first is that the cop had to do it.  In other words, it was self-defense.

The second is that the cop just should have done it.  In other words, Corey Ruiz had it coming.

The first argument relies entirely on evidence. At the time that Ruiz was shot, was he in a position to cause death or serious injury to any of the officers in the area?  I've been over the cell phone footage, and at this time I don't believe he was. However, that's what investigations are for. The evidence will give us the answer.

But very few people are actually making that argument, and the few that do are only making a surface-level argument and are quick to fall back on the second argument when challenged ever so slightly.

Did Corey Ruiz have it coming?  And was the cop justified in summarily executing him right there and then? 

This argument is not about facts and evidence. This is about feelings. Plenty of people feel that Ruiz deserved to be killed in the middle of the road in broad daylight while lying sideways on the ground. 

For some, it was the immediately preceding actions that justify it. He fought the cops. He pulled a knife. A cop was injured by the knife. Case closed, he deserved to die.

Others look at his history. He's had 40 previous charges. He's a scofflaw. People like that deserve to die.

Others get even more surface-level. He was homeless. He was mentally unstable. He was an addict. He should die.

And of course, for a whole lot of people, most of whom communicate in subtext, the fact that he was black helps grease the wheel for them. 

It's all feelings. It's only about who they think deserves to die without a trial or any semblance of due process. Some people should just be shot in the streets, apparently.

To what end would they take that?  Under what circumstances should society give a thumbs up when one individual unilaterally decides that another individual deserves to die and then kills him?  Is it just when cops make the decision?  Is it just when the deceased is poor and/or black?

Of course, they won't think that hard on such things.  "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law?  Pshaw!  Justice is a gut thing!  And tomorrow will never come!"

We are a society of laws, not just of people. If we give that up . . . I don't want to think about it.