Posted on 09/23/2020 9:11:28 AM PDT by grundle
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A 13-year-old Utah boy with autism was shot by police after his mother asked for help getting him hospital mental-health treatment and officers agreed to talk with him, police footage released Monday showed.
The videos show Salt Lake City officers chasing him down an alley after they arrive at his home, then yelling at him to get on the ground. The boy collapses after a series of shots ring out, moaning, “I don’t feel good. I don’t feel good.” He survived but suffered broken bones and pierced organs, the family's attorney has said.
His mother, Golda Barton, had warned police that her son said earlier that day, Sept. 4, that he had a gun and had threatened to shoot her male coworker and break windows in the house, the video showed. But she told officers she thought it was a BB gun or pellet gun. There were no indications he was armed.
She wanted him to be hospitalized for help with his mental health issues.
Officers said they would have to proceed as though the boy did have access to a real gun, the videos show. Barton told officers the boy was “triggered” by seeing police.
“He sees the badge and he automatically thinks you are going to kill him or he has to defend himself in some way,” she said. “He freaks out.”
The video was made public under a Salt Lake City ordinance requiring the release of video from police shootings within 10 business days.
The shooting has raised new questions about how police deal with people with mental health issues amid nationwide calls for police reform. It came hours before new deescalation tactics were due to take effect for Salt Lake City police, which is also cooperating with an independent investigation
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
The word “black” does not appear anywhere in the article, so we can be 100% sure the boy is not black.
The police are not emotional-health responders. They are criminal responders. In this case they were told an irrational kid with a gun had threatened to shoot the caller’s male coworker. Naturally, the cops respond to dangerous kid with a gun.
“Questions about how police deal with someone with mental health issues.” The police are unable to diagnose those problems. They were called to protect life.
As for the people who think mental health workers should be called, and not the cops, they will be proved wrong the first time the mental health worker is killed.
Kid has mental issues point loaded gun at officer. Offier hesitates thinking if the kid has mental issues he won’t shoot so tries to ta;k to kid pointing loaded gun at him. Kid shoots. Officer dies. All is right with the world.
She wanted him to be hospitalized for help with his mental health issues.
Why is it the cops job to do your job mom? Why do you have guns in the house if you have someone mentally unstable? You called them! You were the one who said he may have a gn and he threatened to shoot you.Kid ran way, resisting an officers order.. Was shot. Good!
Its a white kid...so...no harm no foul?
Maybe.
You are correct. I was only arguing the prior point. Thanks for your perspective.
This is an example of the BS that cops have to put up with.
I was just thinking that. But, those cost a bunch of money and they were full of abuses. I am not sure what the answer is.
Indeed. Where did he have access to a firearm? Mom should be facing charges.
Going forward, it would be the police.
I’m in NC and our mental hospitals were the best in the nation. Administrators from all over came to learn from our operations.
Almost 20 years ago, I did a series of articles on the privately owned group homes where the state patients were placed when the hospitals shut down. These homes were where I found the ghastly abuses.
Actually, when the mother called, she specifically asked for a crisis handling team, and SLC actually has those.
Instead they sent hyped-up trigger-happy cops looking the blast away the fist chance they got.
The state hospitals in MA were a nightmare. It was like a 1940’s version of a facility. The abuse was “old school” systemic abuse...not what we call abuse today. Today it would be called criminal.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“This is Golda Barton, my son has a gun and is threatening to shoot my coworker and break windows in our house. Can you send some officers to help?”
“I’m sorry, mam. You’re on your own.”
Click...
You might be on to something. Might stand up in court.
“Mental illness or autism? Probably a good bet.”
Autism.
We have to reopen our state mental hospitals.
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