Several readers have asked why I/we haven’t commented on the allegedly wrongful shooting of a black man in New York. I can’t speak for others, but my excuse is pretty basic: I hadn’t had a chance to read up on it and didn’t know what to say. I still don’t. The 50 shots fired certainly sounds excessive, but I can imagine circumstances where cops would mistake friendly-fire as hostile fire and with semi-automatic weapons the bullet count would rise quickly. From the details I’ve seen, racism doesn’t sound like a particularly apt explanation. But, time will tell. Hoover’s Joseph McNamara has a solid piece in today’s Wall Street Journal offering what strikes me as some sober criticism. Although McNamara is a big anti-drug war guy, so I think that colors his views a bit.