The death of anyone is a tragedy. Even that of Ronald W. Ficker.

Ficker is the 51-year-old Maple Valley man who was shot and killed by Issaquah Police on Sept. 24 after he began firing on bystanders and police officers.

The tragedy of that day certainly would have been worse had the officers not acted quickly and decisively to protect the community.

Ficker was carrying two rifles and 952 rounds of ammunition when he walked by the Julius Boehm Pool to Issaquah Middle School and finally onto Clark Elementary School. As he walked, he fired shots at some teenagers and also into the air.

As Steven Strachan, Chief Deputy at the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the incident, noted: “I believe in my heart that they (Issaquah Police) saved lives, perhaps a lot of lives.”

It seems obvious that Ficker was disturbed. Police report that he walked into the Issaquah Police Station on Sept. 15 carrying a handgun and talking of how he had concerns for his safety because he had an invention that would save the planet.

None of that matters when police officers were faced with a life-of-death situation. The Issaquah officers acted to save their lives and others.

The actions of one person committing a random act of violence doesn’t mean that Issaquah is not a safe community. It is. Residents can take comfort that the city’s police were there to maintain that safety. They deserve our thanks and praise.

– Craig Groshart, Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter