I finished reading the latest article regarding the K-9 dog being killed and I'm furious ("Family Challenges Police Account of Killing," May 8). Aulf was a city of Pittsburgh police officer. Justin J. Jackson shot and killed a police officer, not "just a dog."

If Mr. Jackson had hit one of the human officers, would that have made a difference? What if the bullets meant for the K-9 officer had missed and hit an innocent child, then would it have been a tragedy? The tragedy is that Mr. Jackson had a record and was carrying a gun in the first place, and that's where everyone's anger should be focused, not on the police officers for trying to keep the neighborhood safe.

We should be holding community meetings and prayer groups to figure out ways to help the young people of the city of Pittsburgh straighten out their lives. Why is it that every time a subject is arrested or shot by a police officer, we always hear how he or she was a good person or "getting their lives back together," only to find out later that the person had a record and was still participating in criminal activity?

It's preposterous to me that someone would theorize that those officers would shoot and kill Mr. Jackson for no reason, realize what they did, pull out a different gun (a stolen gun), shoot the K-9 officer and then plant the stolen gun on Mr. Jackson. To suggest such a thing is horrible.

Two lives were senselessly taken during this incident. We need to concentrate our energy on coming up with solutions on how to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.

DENISE ROSATO
Greenfield

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The article "Family Challenges Police Account of Killing" (May 8) is a no-win situation for the police.

First, this was not a case of shooting a person for a dog. This was a case of shoot or be killed. Someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting ... and I don't care what he is shooting at -- the officer is trained to shoot at the largest target to save his life. This is plain old-fashioned common sense!

The family's theory that the police shot both the K-9 and Justin Jackson is ridiculous. That would suggest that the police had an "extra" gun on them, that they were able to place it in Mr. Jackson's hand to get his prints on it, and then get traces of powder residue on his hand. Oh yes, and all of this was done right there in the street in broad daylight.

I feel sorry for the family for the loss of their son. The loss of any life is a tragedy. But let's be realistic here. If he wasn't walking around carrying a stolen gun in the first place, then none of this would have happened. Let's place the responsibility where it belongs and quit making excuses. This is an area where people are being shot and killed on a daily basis. And not by the police.

J. HILDEBRAND
Arlington

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Concerning the shooting in Mount Oliver this week: So the parents of Justin J. Jackson feel their son was killed by police, who planted a gun on him after they shot him -- of course that makes sense. Out of the 100 or so black men walking around Mount Oliver at any given time of the day or night, their son was randomly picked out by the police ("Family Challenges Police Account of Killing," May 8).

Or was it more likely that Mr. Jackson, hiding a large-caliber gun in his waistband, fired on police when they confronted him, shooting and killing the K-9 in the process? This shooting is not about a dog's life being worth more than a man's life -- this is about another armed thug with a record at the tender age of 19 carrying a stolen gun.

Mr. Jackson's father said this whole situation could have been handled differently. I agree: his son shouldn't have been carrying a stolen weapon in the first place and the entire episode could have been avoided. This isn't the Wild West, folks. People need to step up and take responsibility for their actions and not blame the police or every form of authority under the sun for their problems.

ARLENE BUCHANAN
Swisshelm Park

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The Post Gazette-deserves a huge salute for uncovering and then staying on the "Heather Bresch/West Virginia University/Imaginary M.B.A." saga. Your reporters did a fine job pursuing this story, despite being stonewalled by just about everyone involved! Great journalism ... It's a major reason why I continue to read "the newspaper" every day, as this was a local issue, with local connections and local history and local ramifications at every turn.

It's satisfying to know that, thanks to the PG, even big-shot corporate executives like Heather Bresch have to be held accountable.

S.A McDOWELL
Scott

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I read the article "Still No Expansion in Store for Whole Foods After 6 Years" (May 6) and was struck by some incongruities. There were almost 1¹/₃ pages devoted to the fact that the Cleveland Whole Foods store was twice the size of the one in Pittsburgh and had superior choices of high-priced organic foods. At the same time, Page A-4 had one-third of the page devoted to food riots in Somalia, where food is in short supply and inflation is rampant.

In addition, less space was devoted to the natural disaster in Myanmar, with its large death toll. Post-Gazette, where is your sense of proportion?

TRUDY COHN
Edgewood

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I am writing in regard to the May 6 article "Still No Expansion in Store for Whole Foods After 6 Years." The statement, "But Pittsburgh also doesn't have the spacious produce department that includes a cut flower shop staffed by an employee" is completely untrue. As former manager of the Pittsburgh store's floral department, this sentence made me wonder whether the reporter even visited the store.

As soon as you walk in the front door, you are greeted with a whole wall of cut flowers and plants. The customer service booth is surrounded by more flowers. There is also a garden center outside. Furthermore, the department has a staff of five, and employees are always there to gift wrap custom-made arrangements.

KATHERINE MIDDLECAMP
Regent Square

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I am writing to thank PEN/Faulkner finalist Kate Christensen for the compliment that she paid our fair "city" ("PEN Faulkner Finalists Have Pittsburgh Ties," May 6).

She says she visits Pittsburgh from Brooklyn often, and, "For a small town, it feels very cosmopolitan."

Remember when we used to be a big city with a small-town feel? Guess it depends on how you look at it.

CHRIS ZURAWSKY
Squirrel Hill

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