news-record.com

Whatever else is learned about the police chase and shooting Jan. 23, one conclusion is obvious: The outcome wasn't good.

Emile Baptist Williams of Raleigh was killed by Officer William Symmes. Both the stolen vehicle Williams was driving and an unmarked Greensboro police SUV were damaged.

A police internal affairs review and SBI investigation are under way. They may find that Symmes was protecting himself when he fired at Williams. But it's also important to determine what circumstances put the officer in that position and what could have averted a deadly finish to an incident that began with a property crime, not a life-threatening confrontation.

Police say Williams, who had a long criminal record, grabbed two diamond rings from a Four Seasons Town Centre jewelry store and ran. Symmes, working an off-duty security job, pursued in his police vehicle.

Symmes was right to respond. Even off duty, police officers can act with full authority when they're aware of a crime, and they can use official vehicles at their disposal. Officers are potentially on duty all the time.

Whether the ensuing high-speed chase on I-40 at 7:30 p.m. was justified must be closely examined. Greensboro Police Department policy allows officers to initiate a pursuit but lays out several considerations. Most important is whether the pursuit poses "excessive risk of injury" to the officer or general public.

The officer should weigh that against "the seriousness of the offense for which the stop was originally being attempted," the "risk of harm from not apprehending the suspect, considering his manner of driving and the degree of risk created by the crime the suspect is believed to have committed," and other factors.

In this case, the situation quickly went from bad to worse. Williams led Symmes at speeds up to 100 mph on I-40, then lost control on a ramp to I-85. The two vehicles collided. A physical confrontation followed. Somehow Williams gained control of the police vehicle and began driving off, with Symmes hanging on. The officer fired once, killing Williams.

Fault originates with the suspect. Williams started everything with an alleged theft at the mall. He foolishly tried to get away, and he drove recklessly in the attempt. Had he stopped and surrendered, he'd be alive today.

But a fair and thorough investigation must ask whether the original crime, in which no one was hurt, justified a risky pursuit. It must assess whether Williams presented a great enough danger to the public that he could not be left at large, making a chase imperative.

It's easy to second-guess with the benefit of hindsight. Officers on the street make split-second decisions under tremendous pressure. But, if Symmes made mistakes, police can and should learn from them.

There's no doubt, in circumstances like these, they want to achieve better outcomes.