Did Harris get what he deserved?
Varner Harris Jr. was 18 years old, on probation for an earlier robbery attempt, when he took off running as two police officers told him to stop last December as they responded to a call about a fight at a downtown convenience store.
Harris was carrying a loaded .38-caliber pistol and whether or not he had anything to do with the dust-up at the store, it didn't matter. If the cops caught him with the gun, he'd be going to prison for four years for violating his probation.
So as Harris turned to face the two officers, he pulled out the gun and started firing. When the smoke cleared, Officer Patricia Parete, 41, became the first female Buffalo Police officer wounded on duty. A bullet hit her chin, continued on to strike her spine, and left her quadriplegic. Officer Carl Andolina, shot three times as he wrestled Harris to the ground, was later named the 2007 hero by the television program "America's Most Wanted."
Harris was sent to prison for 30 years to life Monday for the shooting, another 1 1/3 to 4 years for violating his probation.
Was it enough? He'll be eligible for parole in his early 50s. Should he be?
--- Michael Beebe
