Dr. Brian H. Williams, a trauma surgeon at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, was on duty last Thursday night when wounded police officers began to arrive in the ER.
An emotional Williams said Monday he “had been going nonstop since then,” and talked about the aftermath of the ambush that killed five officers.
“I think about it everyday that I was unable to save those cops when they came here that night,” Williams said at a press conference. “It weighs on my mind constantly. This killing, it has to stop.”
“This experience has been very personal for me and a turning point in my life,” said Williams, who is African-American. “We routinely care for multiple gunshot victims. But the preceding days of more black men dying at the hands of police officers affected me. I think the reasons are obvious. I fit that demographic of individuals. But I abhor what has been done to these officers and I grieve with their families.”
The ambush in Dallas followed the fatal shooting by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
The black community and the police need to work together, Williams said.
“I understand the anger and the frustration and the distrust of law enforcement, but they are not the problem,” Williams said. “The problem is the lack of open discussions about the impact of race relations in this country. Black men dying and being forgotten. People are retaliating against the people who are sworn to defend us. We have to come together. And end all this.”
Read Dr. Williams’ full statement here:
“I want to state first and foremost — I stand with the Dallas Police Department. I stand with law enforcement all over this country. This experience has been very personal for me and a turning point in my life. There is the added dynamic of officers being shot. We routinely care for multiple gunshot victims … but the preceding days of more black men dying at the hands of police officers affected me. I think the reasons are obvious. I fit that demographic of individuals. But I abhor what has been done to these officers and grieve with their families. I understand the anger and the frustration and the distrust of law enforcement. But they are not the problem. The problem is the lack of open discussions about the impact of race relations in this country. And I think about it every day … that I was unable to save those cops when they came here that night. It weighs on my mind constantly. This killing, it has to stop. Black men dying and being forgotten
