After a nearly four-week investigation, the Park County Sheriff’s office has determined that the Powell man who shot and killed a former military dog turned service dog will face no charges. 

But long before the investigation reached its conclusion, people began attacking him with rude, vindictive and threatening comments on social media.  

“This was a tragic situation for all those involved,” Sheriff Scott Steward said in a news release late Thursday evening. “There are no winners here, only losers.”

Those include veteran Matthew Bessler, who did two tours of duty in Iraq; his dog, Michael, who also served in Iraq, then became a service dog for Bessler when they returned; and Jeffrey Brandt, 59, also an Army veteran, who shot Michael when the dog attacked him. Brandt told investigators he genuinely believed his life was threatened. 

Steward said investigators re-interviewed Brandt, as well as people who had previously witnessed aggressive behavior by Michael, including a 70-year-old man who was attacked and injured by Michael last spring. They also reviewed statements by Bessler.

“We have determined to accept the description of the attack by the victim, to be factual,” Steward said. “However, we are also inclined to believe Mr. Bessler’s statements about Michael’s behavior in his presence. ... We are confident that, for the majority of the time, Michael was a caring, faithful companion to Mr. Bessler.” 

In the days and weeks since Michael was shot on Oct. 10, Brandt — and to a lesser degree, Bessler — have been victims of people who put themselves in judgment seats and made vicious and derogatory comments online about Brandt, and some about Bessler as well. 

Steward said Brandt “lost his sense of safety, security and freedom for him and his family” due to “vile, disgusting comments made on social media.”

There is no excuse for these online attacks. 

Many of the comments showed no compassion and little human dignity or decency. They’re needlessly hurtful, and they’re completely unnecessary.

Most were premature, assuming facts that hadn’t been determined yet, and many were vicious. Some even threatened Brandt’s life, calling for vigilante justice.  

Both of these men already were in distress; there was no need to add to the trauma they experienced. 

Unfortunately, this situation is an example of an increasing problem in our society. Too often, we sit in judgment of our neighbors, pointing fingers and aiming verbal barbs against them, whether or not we are fully informed about the situation. 

It seems people often believe they have the right to judge others — to criticize, threaten, attack and degrade them — with very little information or rationale behind their stinging opinions. 

When did we, as a society, become so vain that we decided our opinions are so all-encompassingly important? That other viewpoints are unnecessary and of less value than our own? That civility should take a back seat to scorn and finger-pointing?

Perhaps this is a result of the constant barrage of insults and verbal attacks one hears these days from the “talking heads” featured on news channels and political programs. People who should be serving as role models of civility instead are modeling uncivilized, vicious and rude behavior, and that behavior seems to be leaking into our everyday lives. 

Whatever the reasons, we can, and should, do better — be better. While it’s important for us to be able to voice our thoughts and opinions, it’s also important to do so in polite, appropriate ways. Let’s bring some civility back into our lives, both online and in person.

As Steward put it, “We can only hope that those who wish to pass judgment prematurely in the print and social media without full possession of the facts will learn something from this incident.”