Police: Local officer has troubling record

Re: “Investigators: Lowered arms led to Lakewood police shooting,” (TNT, 5/24).

Across the country people are mourning the unjust death of George Floyd at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin has a history of racist violence against black and native people but was kept on the Minneapolis police force despite numerous complaints and several fatal shootings.

Right here in Pierce County, there is a police officer a lot like Chauvin. Officer Mike Wiley of the Lakewood Police Department recently shot and killed a young black man, Said Joquin, during a traffic stop on May 1.

Like Chauvin, Wiley has a history of violence against black men. In 2013 he was involved in the killing of Leonard Thomas in Fife; a jury found he was personally at fault.

Now he’s killed another person, and instead of being fired, he’s on paid leave while the incident is investigated.

Lakewood police should immediately fire Wiley before he shoots anyone else.

And we need to re-think the way we hold police accountable, because our kids deserve better than to live in fear of uniformed officers with a habit of killing.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Police: Local officer has troubling record."