JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 41-year-old man has died after being shot by police following a collision on Saturday morning on Grunthal Street.
Bobby Brown died in hospital after being shot by an officer.
of The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received calls about a man who appeared to be high on drugs. and was knocking on doors while armed with knives.
Court documents show Brown has been charged with resisting officers, domestic battery and possession of marijuana in the past.
Officers said Brown went to a relative’s home and when he went inside, he threatened to harm himself and others in the home. They also said he allegedly hid drugs and other paraphernalia in the home, then locked himself in the bathroom.
Officers got the family safely out of the home, then spent 45 minutes negotiating with Brown.
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Investigators said the time between the gunshots and the Taser was fairly close, which is why they continue to investigate and are reviewing body camera footage.
News4JAX spoke with JSO about their de-escalation practices in situations like this.
They said all officers are trained in dealing with a gunman and deciding when force is necessary — which is difficult to do when dealing with a gunman.
The Chief Investigator mentioned how in the early hours of the morning over the weekend none of the co-response teams were on duty.
The co-response teams are made up of mental health professionals funded by LSF Health Systems, who we reached out to talk about their schedule and whether it would have affected the outcome of this situation.
Why were none of the mental health professionals available on weekends?
“I’m not sure why this happened. But what I can say is that when first responders are called, it’s usually the primary reason for de-escalating a mental health situation,” said Dr. Christine Cauffield, Chief Operating Officer of LSF Health Systems. “If safety is involved, if there’s a situation dangerous incident involving weapons, first responders are generally not called because the officers think it’s a safety issue, a dangerous issue, weapons are present. Therefore, they don’t take the doctor with them for her or his safety, as well as for the safety of others. So I’m not sure that a joint response team would have been called in this particular situation.”
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Cauffield said it’s ideal to have a co-response team available 24/7 for a mental health crisis.
“It is not unusual for an individual who is addicted to drugs of any kind to also have a co-occurring mental health problem,” Cauffield said.
How likely is a mental health co-respondent to be successful in a situation where there is a person of interest or suspect who is under the influence of drugs?
“It would depend on the security risk determination by the JSO. If the JSO officer feels there were no safety concerns and no weapons were present, they can determine that. Indeed, a co-response team would be appropriate for the call. So it depends, every situation is different. They seek the risk of death. They look for the environment in general, which is at risk for security risks,” Cauffield said.
JSO said early on in the investigation it appeared that Brown was coming at them with the gun, which officers want to give 25 feet to have reaction time.
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