WASHINGTON — Some are calling for policy changes after a 41-year-old man was shot and killed during a mental health crisis in D.C.'s NoMa neighborhood on Wednesday.
Clifford Brooks grew up in the River Terrace neighborhood just a mile away from a 7-Eleven where police say he was suffering a mental health crisis. An ambulance was called to the Benning Road convenience store after a veteran intervention officer spent two hours talking with Brooks, who finally agreed to get help, only for that same intervention officer to later shoot and kill him on the way to the hospital.
Police say during the trip uptown, Brooks became agitated and pinned the paramedic to the side of the ambulance, she ran out a side door to escape and he followed. Police say Brooks then slid under a white box truck and emerged with a metal object.
Police Chief Pamela Smith said during Wednesday's press conference that the man was shot when he swung the metal object at the officer.
Neighbors who heard what happened questioned the severity of the response.
"You're going to take a human being, take their whole life, because they're holding a what? A metal object," neighbor Yvonne Davis said.
Mikki Charles, with Harriet's Wildest Dreams, is part of DC Safety Squad — a collection of community groups and over 100 trained volunteers working to create alternatives to police response.
"Every time police show up, they show up with a gun and a badge," Charles said.
While officers on the crisis intervention team undergo 40 hours of training, DC Police just launched a 16-hour de-escalation training for all officers. Police continue to investigate what happened in this scenario.
"He was in distress and he needed help, and what'd they do? Kill him. That's not right. It's not fair," Davis said.
The American Civil Liberties Union's Crisis Response Coalition says the District needs to overhaul its crisis response to center on public health. They are encouraging folks not to dial 911, but call mental health professionals instead by dialing 988.