Outrage and sorrow filled the air Tuesday morning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after news broke that 37-year-old police officer Peter Jerving had been shot and killed. The suspect was 19-year-old Terrell Thompson, who was on probation for a hit-and-run.
Thompson allegedly ran away when officers arrived at a robbery scene on the city’s south side. Officer Jerving chased after him and they got into a scuffle before Jerving was fatally shot. Thompson died at the scene as well after being wounded by gunfire.
The death of Officer Jerving has sent shockwaves throughout Milwaukee and beyond. Chief Jeffrey Norman expressed his grief saying, “Milwaukee, our hearts are heavy… One of our finest who put on that uniform put on that badge went to work last night and paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our community. Milwaukee, we need your prayers. We need your support.”
It is an outrage to see how criminals are given leniency from the law only to commit more acts of violence. Why should criminals be allowed to roam free? We must take action so that no one else suffers from violent crimes due to offenders not being held accountable for their actions.
Some people say we must demand stronger laws with harsher punishments for those convicted of crimes such as these. They also say that we should make sure there are more resources available to help rehabilitate offenders so they don’t end up repeating their crimes. What do you think? Do you agree?
Officer Peter Jerving was a hero; he selflessly put his life in danger to protect others from harm and sadly paid the ultimate price for doing so. Prayers go out to his family.
