Warnings ignored, and good man dies

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published August 17, 2007

A good man was murdered Wednesday morning, a law enforcement officer who dedicated his life to helping others. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Sgt. Ronald Harrison was gunned down by a man who at a young age had already given society enough reason to fear evil was coming. The rattlesnake rattles to signal danger ahead - yet in Michael Phillips' short, violent life, the criminal justice system didn't heed the warning.

Harrison, 55, was on the way home from a late-night DUI checkpoint in Brandon, perhaps thinking about upcoming DUI training sessions he would be teaching or, further ahead, to a comfortable retirement that wasn't far off. What happened next isn't fully known, except this: Harrison, still in his unmarked cruiser, was shot by Phillips. Harrison died moments later, probably never knowing who had attacked him or why.

In a crime as senseless as this, of course, there is no satisfactory explanation. Phillips was filled with hate, and it spilled out regularly in acts of violence. His numerous run-ins with the law started when he was 12 years old and ended shortly after the attack on Harrison. After exchanging gunfire with a SWAT team at his mother's home, Phillips was shot dead.

In his 24 years of life, Phillips had been arrested at least 20 times - four times as a juvenile offender when he was charged with burglary and battery. As an adult, Phillips had repeatedly abused his girlfriend, the mother of his son, and threatened others. The details spill out on page after page of arrest reports. He spent time in prison and was out of jail Wednesday on a bond that had been set recklessly low considering his record.

Why Hillsborough Circuit Judge Manuel Lopez reduced Phillips' bail after the latest charges, which included fleeing deputies in a high-speed chase, isn't clear. Facing another prison term, a man as violent as Phillips who had demonstrated a lack of compassion for others was a cocked trigger. It was only a matter of who would be hurt next.

Harrison's death leaves his family and his community injured and empty. If something positive is to come of this tragedy, it will begin with an honest assessment of our revolving-door criminal justice system. To protect the next unsuspecting victim, we need to answer why no one in a position of authority heeded the clear warning signals and intervened before it was too late.

[Last modified August 16, 2007, 22:13:17]