Four Lakewood Police Officers Killed: How Did This Happen?
A commentary by Rex Sexton
United Church of God pastor, Tacoma and Olympia, Washington
Posted December 2, 2009
 This
past Sunday morning, in a small coffee shop barely 20 miles from my home,
four police officers were murdered as they sat doing paperwork. The crime
took place in Parkland, a small suburb between the city of Tacoma and Fort
Lewis. The officers killed were from Lakewood, an adjacent suburb. This
is small-town America next door to the big city.
To describe the impact of such a horrific crime in this area is difficult.
People have been seen crying as they shopped or stood on the streets.
I noticed that no one wanted to talk much in the home improvement store
I went to. Memorials have sprung up in several places. The largest is
at the Lakewood Police Department building where thousands of flowers,
cards and candles fill the sidewalk. The entire area is stunned and
in shock. Four dedicated servants of the community are dead, leaving
spouses and nine children who have lost a parent.
As I write this, news has just come over the radio that the suspect
in the murders has been shot and killed by a Seattle police officer.
People are relieved that no one else has been injured and the massive
manhunt is over. The authorities are in the process now of arresting
as many as 10 people who helped the suspect evade authorities over the
past three days, including the driver of the getaway car.
People are asking, "How did this happen?" The alleged murderer,
Maurice Clemmons, had a long history of violence and arrests. He was
released early from prison at least twice in another state and later
not prosecuted due to paperwork errors. He was arrested here in May
for hitting a police officer in the face and for the rape of a 12-year-old
girl. According to court records, as he was being booked into the Pierce
County Jail he told workers, "I'll kill all you [expletive]."
But once again he was released, this time after posting bail. When
asked why a probable child rapist with a long criminal record was released,
deputy prosecutor Grant Blinn responded, "A typical child rape-2
defendant is summonsed into court, not even arrested. A lot of them
are released on their own personal recognizance." I have a difficult
time comprehending why child rapists are turned loose so easily. Six
days after being released this time, Clemmons reportedly told acquaintances
to watch the TV news because he planned to "shoot police." Something
is clearly wrong with our system.
On a fundamental level our society has lost much of the understanding
of evil. The ideas of the humanist movement that permeate so much of
our education, entertainment and legal systems have many people convinced
of "the good in everyone" and the concept that "all
people are the same." They reject the teachings of the Bible,
which clearly show that some people choose to be wicked and evil. God's
Word also teaches that these people are influenced by an evil being
that is referred to as "the prince of the power of the air" and "the
god of this age" (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Modern research is gradually demonstrating that God was right to begin
with. In his monumental book Without Conscience, Dr. Robert
Hare, who has studied the criminal mind for more than 30 years, writes
clearly about psychopaths in our society. In the introduction to his
book he states, "It is a personality that is characterized by
egocentricity, grandiosity, impulsivity, recklessness, contentment with
self, and, most disturbing, a total lack of conscience."
As a society, we must learn how to better deal with evil.
Messages of sympathy and condolence are coming to this area from all
over the United States as word of the horrific crime of this week has
been reported. We are praying for the victims' families and others
who are suffering. We wish there were something more that could be done.
It is likely that the Tacoma area will never be quite the same as it
was.
  If you would like to know more about what the Bible teaches, please
request our free publications Why
Does God Allow Suffering? and Is
There Really a Devil?
Related Resources
God's Plan to End Evil and Suffering
Is God blind to evil and human suffering? Why doesn’t He intervene
to put a stop to it? Or could it be that it’s we who are blind
to what God is doing and that humankind must learn some major lessons
before He puts an end to evil?
Did God Create People Evil?
Viewing the suffering around the globe caused by evil leaders is discouraging.
Some countries are run by outright drug lords. Others are ruled by leaders
who abuse their own people. Saddam Hussein has become a poster boy of
the evil tyrant in the 21st century just as Hitler and Stalin were in
the 20th. Why would a good God create such evil people?
Bible Study: An Unseen Evil Influence
We have seen that the world was predicted to be a dangerous place at
the time of the end. Man's actions have brought us to the brink of extinction.
But why do we think and act in such self-destructive ways? Is another
factor—one that few recognize—at work influencing human
behavior?
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