Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)
A state lawmaker and former police officer is asking for prayers for those killed and injured by a sniper in Dallas.
Five officers were killed and seven wounded when a gunman opened fire on police overseeing a protest, which was in reaction to a pair of officer-involved fatal shootings this week in Louisiana and Minnesota. State Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) says there needs to be a show of support for everyone who works to protect the lives of others. “We need to let the people who serve and protect us know that we care about them.”
The Racine Republican, who spent 30 years in law enforcement prior to his election, says the officers shot in Dallas were trying to do the right thing while covering the protest by not wearing all of the safety gear that they often would during those types of events. “That’s the right way to bring things out and to start to have a dialogue – and then you have individuals who try to take advantage of that situation…these officers were set up basically by not wanting to appear to be on the offensive.”
AUDIO: Sen. Wanggaard says he spent much of the night watching events unfold in Dallas (2:08)
Wanggaard says he’s watched the reaction to the two shootings by police earlier this week, both of which had portions caught on video and have sparked protests nationwide. He says people should have confidence that justice will be served and that those who did something wrong will be held accountable. “That’s why we have the rule of law the way we do, so that we can take time and dissect what happens, put it through a process,” he says. “Not every officer always does things right.”