Susie Putnam: A deputy’s good judgment

Regarding the July 8 news brief “Man charged with firing at deputy”: Kudos to Wake County deputy Donnie Farmer, who effectively disarmed a man with a rifle and a gun who was pointing a shotgun at passing motorists. Farmer grabbed the gun and pushed the man away. The man then pulled a handgun out of his pocket. Farmer hit the man’s hand as the gun fired and managed to wrestle the gun away from the man, who was then arrested.

It’s apparent that Farmer has received excellent training on what to do in such a potentially lethal situation and used his skills and judgment in such an excellent manner.

With very recent headlines about the deaths of black men at the hands of policemen, this article was so encouraging.

I don’t know whether this man was black, white or Hispanic, but I feel certain that whatever his race, Farmer would have reacted exactly as he did.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Susie Putnam: A deputy’s good judgment."