Police Misconduct Lawsuits for Treatment of Mentally Ill

Several lawsuits claim that police throughout the United States have shot and killed mentally ill individuals without given them the chance to speak or to calm down in the midst of a scuffle. One wife who has filed a lawsuit after the police shot her husband says that she called an ambulance when her husband was acting strangely. He had developed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was unpredictable in many situations.

The wife called 9-1-1 to seek protection, and was told that she needed to go to a neighbor’s home to take cover. She sought refuge in the apartment building below hers, and then heard the police banging on her door upstairs. Her husband refused to open for the police officers. This wife listened while the police broke down the door and then shot her husband, who they claim came at them with a knife.

The officers claim that they tased the individual twice but he did not respond, so they were forced to shoot him. The wife says that the officers were completely out of line, and that this is a case of police misconduct. She has now filed a lawsuit claiming that police need more training in how to interact with mentally ill individuals that they may encounter.

Another family member has also sought compensation when her son, a student at Bronx Community College, was shot and killed by the NYPD in Harlem. The mother claims that she called 9-1-1 seeking an ambulance when her child started acting erratically, but police responded and shot her son, rather than trying to calm him down. A third lawsuit has also been filed by another family member who lost a loved one in a similar situation. If you want to learn more about police misconduct lawsuits, then contact a lawyer at Greenberg & Stein today!