The life of a man with schizophrenia, 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton, ended after he was struck by 14 bullets from a Milwaukee police officer’s handgun on 30 April 2014. The lethal confrontation sparked a firestorm in my city, resulting in several massive protests and the notification of the National Guard. A year later, many of my constituents still ask what is being done to address concerns about police reform and how we can fill the gaps in our mental health safety net.
I don’t think the police have opened fire on anyone in my town as far as I know. Here about occasional civilian shootings. My state is crazy though, its legal to conceal and carry without a permit. Anyways it is possible for cops to behave appropriately. If they live in more densely populated areas their is a higher risk factor and that probably keeps them on edge.
Honestly I don’t expect this kind of stuff to stop happening, but it is a blight on society.
The police all carry tasers in oz now as well as a pistol. Was a few cases of suicidal patients forcing the police to shot them dead. Was some footage and a big uproar about it for awhile, That the patients where just playing up to be killed and how it all came about. So now it’s just the odd case of police misusing tasers.
The police need to understand that a mentally ill person might not understand their directions. For a mentally ill person an arrest can seem arbitrary and like a personal attack.