Two college students in Wilmington beat up a third student and stole a PlayStation. Campus police called the sheriff’s department. The sheriff’s department sent a swat team to get it back.

Why a swat team?

Because the students had posted a photograph on the Internet showing them holding semi-automatic rifles and pistols. So the sheriff’s department considered the raid a “dangerous” mission (The News and Observer, 7-15-07).

As the raid began a deputy sheriff, mistaking the sound of a battering ram for a gunshot, fired through a door killing an 18-year-old student.

Because of the photograph, the deputy explained to the Grand Jury later, he had expected heavily armed resistance. After hearing the evidence the Grand Jury refused to indict the policeman. (The sheriff did fire him.)

It is hard to fault the Grand Jury. No one likes to fault a policeman who’s doing his job even if he makes a tragic mistake.

On the other hand it seems like someone in the sheriff’s department might have said, Yes. I know about the photograph. But, heavily armed resistance? My God, all these students did was steal a PlayStation. Are we sure we want to send a swat team to get it back?

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