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EDITORIAL: More transparency needed in movie theater shooting investigation

3 min read
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More than two dozen students demanded justice Monday while protesting outside Washington County Courthouse.

At the same time nearly 500 miles away in Chicago, about 300 people – some of whom were off-duty police officers – did the same, except for a much different case.

The two worlds collided with people who felt the criminal justice system wasn’t working.

Here in Washington, the high school students who rallied at the courthouse steps wanted to know why charges had not been filed in a North Franklin Township movie theater disturbance that led to the shooting of a black teenager March 23. A man from Greene County pulled out a gun during an incident involving six teenage boys, resulting in a struggle for the weapon in which the 17-year-old boy was struck in the leg, state police have said.

But besides that, investigators have released few details on the case. Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said the investigation is continuing and that “it’s important that justice be done.”

“We’re not going to be pressured into making a decision,” Vittone said.

Maybe not, but it’s been nearly two weeks since someone was shot and the gunman still has not been publicly identified. The lack of transparency has led to rumors swirling around the case and questions about the legitimacy of the investigation.

The same could be said in Chicago where protesters were calling for the resignation of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx after her office decided to drop all charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was originally accused of conjuring a fake assault on himself that he claimed was perpetrated by racist Donald Trump supporters. Police officials are adamant he made the story up, prompting a three-week investigation that they claim led straight back to Smollett.

Foxx has said the felony charges were dropped so her office could focus on violent crime, but that explanation doesn’t make much sense considering petty crimes are prosecuted across this country every day. Faking your own assault that prompted a nationwide discussion about race is not petty. Smollett should be prosecuted if investigators believe he committed the crime.

It’s too soon to say whether the North Franklin movie theater shooter should be prosecuted – we have no clue if he was acting in self-defense – but the lack of information coming out 12 days after the incident should raise alarm bells about the process.

While these two cases have very different circumstances, the common denominator is the lack of transparency. That isn’t good for society or the criminal justice system.

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