About that Gallatin Police shooting...

As you may recall, Laronda Sweatt sliced Sumner County deputy Gary Pickard with an ax last week. Pickard was accompanying four members of the housing authority to evict Sweatt from the public housing where she lived.

Several minutes after slicing Pickard (he required 20 stitches), she moved toward Gallatin police officer James Spray with the ax. Spray started stepping back and ordered her several times to stop and get on the ground. After eight seconds had passed and Sweatt kept moving toward him, Spray shot her graveyard dead. It was all on video. I have seen the complete, unedited for TV video.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting. After reviewing their report, Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley said this morning Spray was cleared of any wrong-doing. The case is now officially closed.

TV replayed tonight comments Threatt's mother made the day of the shooting.

“Laronda was not violent unless you made her violent. She is bipolar, and they knew she was bipolar; they didn’t have to shoot her like that,” Ella Sweatt said.

“Yes, this could have been avoided. The housing project knew she was bipolar,” she added.

Well mom, it could have been avoided one of two ways:

1: Your daughter could not have sliced a law enforcement officer with an ax, then ignored orders from another law enforcement officer and kept moving aggressively against him. So if it was known Laronda was bipolar, that gives her license to chop up people with an ax?

2: Your daughter had two other weapons on her, including a sword. More knives and weapons were found in the apartment. If you really gave a damn about your daughter, mom, you would have kept those weapons away from her.

That's my opinion...