Seconds from death

A local 16-year-old owes his life to a Fayetteville, Ga., police officer. According to published newspaper reports, on Aug. 30, Officer Todd Chitwood encountered two College Park young men who were apparently acting suspicious.

One of the juveniles, when questioned, gave a false name and then fled on foot. During the subsequent chance, the 16-year-old turned, pointed a Glock 9mm handgun at the officer, and pulled the trigger.

Here is where the story could have ended. Officer Chitwood would have been well within his rights and training to have put several rounds, center mass, into the young man’s body, permanently ending the threat.

In the “use of force continuum” used by all law enforcement agencies in the United States, Officer Chitwood could have — one might say, “should have” — used reasonable force — in this case “deadly force” — and the end result would have been a “justifiable shooting.”

The young man would have died on the asphalt, his family would have grieved, a funeral would have occurred, the officer would have been investigated — and cleared — and the matter would be over. But that didn’t happen.

The weapon misfired. Rather than play it safe and not take a chance that the young man would clear his weapon and fire again, Officer Chitwood risked his own life and physically apprehended the would-be cop killer.

The youth was arrested on several charges, including the very serious “aggravated assault on a police officer.” This young man now faces a grim future, but, thanks to the man he allegedly tried to kill, he has a future.

Perhaps the young man will see the error of his ways, turn from his destructive lifestyle, and make the most of a second chance. Maybe he will finish high school and, when returned to society, will obtain a trade. Maybe he will go to college and graduate school. He might even become a teacher, a coach, or a doctor and transform lives. Maybe he will be a social worker, or a minister, or even a police officer. Or maybe not.

Maybe he will continue this apparent life of crime and destroy himself, his family, or some innocent citizen. The choice as to what kind of man he will become is entirely up to him — and he has this choice because a police officer used restraint and didn’t leave him lifeless on Aug. 30.

Sometimes, police officers are heroes for what they do. Sometimes they are heroes for what they didn’t do. In this case, Officer Todd Chitwood made a decision not to shoot — a decision that could have cost the officer his life.

That decision gave a 16-year-old kid an opportunity to do something positive with himself, should he choose to do so. In the process, while simply doing his duty as he does every shift, Todd Chitwood demonstrated great courage and incredible restraint. He became a hero.

On Aug. 30, 2008, following this deadly encounter, the officer survived a harrowing experience and went home to his family. And on this same date, a teenager, seconds from death, had his life handed back to him by the cop he allegedly tried to kill.

May his new life be worthy of such a generous gift.