In response to 911 calls reporting a man threatening his family with a knife during an apparent mental health crisis, officers were dispatched to an apartment building. Tragically, the situation ended with the officers fatally shooting the man. The incident was reported in the news as a fatal shooting that occurred on Roosevelt Island.
The state Attorney General’s office recently released footage that gives a glimpse into the event that took place on August 4th. The video shows the perspectives of four NYPD officers who were present at the scene. Three of them entered the building’s elevator, one of whom was carrying a riot shield, while the fourth officer stayed behind in the lobby with a Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department officer. The footage is a crucial piece of evidence that sheds light on the events that took place that night.
According to the footage, the man in the elevator then shifted his attention towards the three police officers, namely Daniel Mehr, Annie Virella-Abreu, and Daniel Mazza. Virella-Abreu can be seen deploying a taser at the man in an attempt to subdue him.
After deploying her taser, Virella-Abreu proceeded to draw her firearm, although it remains unclear from the video evidence whether she discharged it.
Based on the footage available, it appears that a mere eight seconds elapsed between the moment the assailant brandished his knife and the moment he was quickly subdued by a gunshot and fell to the ground.
As Mehr’s arm was poised in a threatening position, Virella-Abreu quickly intervened by pushing it down. “Hold on, hold on, hold on,” she urged, attempting to diffuse the tense situation.
According to the authorities, the man was declared deceased at a nearby medical facility at 12:28 a.m.
During a press conference held last month, Assistant Chief Christine Bastedenbeck of Patrol for Borough Queens North of the NYPD revealed that one of the man’s relatives had informed 911 dispatchers that he was not taking his medication and had consumed marijuana.
According to a spokesperson from the NYPD, officers undergo training to effectively handle situations involving individuals with mental health issues. A considerable number of the department’s members have also been trained in crisis intervention. Furthermore, recruits at the NYPD Academy are educated about mental illness and how to communicate with individuals experiencing such conditions.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Attorney General’s office, as is required by law for all police killings. It’s worth noting that Mehr, Virella-Abreu, and Mazza are relatively new additions to the department, having joined between 2018 and 2020.
According to police records, Mehr underwent training in the NYPD’s program for “responding to people in crisis.” This program consists of a video series as well as two audio modules.
Virella-Abreu underwent an identical crisis response training as Mehr, with the addition of two supplementary sessions. One of these sessions centered around the importance of “sending the right signals.”
In recent years, there have been several police shootings that have rocked the nation. One such incident involved Raul de la Cruz, who was shot outside his father’s apartment building in the Bronx during a schizophrenic episode in which he was holding a knife. Similarly, Kawasaki Trawick, another Bronx resident, was fatally shot inside his own apartment while holding a butter knife and stick back in 2018. Saheed Vassell was yet another victim who was unarmed and shot dead in Brooklyn in the same year. These incidents have raised many questions about the use of force by police officers and their training to handle situations involving mental health crises.
Responding to mental health emergencies in situations where someone has a weapon has been a challenging issue for the city. Finding ways to handle such situations without resorting to force has been a struggle.
In response to mental health crises, the city has dispatched mobile crisis teams made up of nurses, social workers, and psychiatrists. Meanwhile, individuals living with mental illness have been advocating for increased funding and staffing for the 988 crisis hotline. Their goal is to replace the 911 emergency system as the primary method for reporting mental health emergencies in New York City.
According to authorities, crisis intervention teams aren’t always the best equipped to handle situations involving knives. The NYPD has faced criticism from advocacy groups and police officers alike, who claim that the department doesn’t adequately prepare officers to handle mental health emergencies. To address this issue, Fountain House has been advocating for improved officer training, focusing on de-escalation tactics for mental health crises. They have called on the NYPD to make changes and improve their response to these types of emergencies.
According to an update from an NYPD spokesperson, this story has been revised.
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