The San Antonio Police Department, like the police in other cities, has a Mental Health Unit available around the clock to respond to calls that require trained, empathetic responses and support for people in distress.
None of the mental health officers on duty were dispatched before Melissa Perez was shot and killed in her home last month by three police officers. Ms. Perez, 46, was exhibiting unusual behavior and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Like the incident in New York in which Raul de la Cruz, 42, was shot six times and critically injured in March by officers 28 seconds after their arrival, Ms. Perez’s shooting is renewing vexing questions about police staffing, training and decision-making, and how officers deal with people experiencing mental health issues.
The police arrived to Ms. Perez’s apartment complex shortly after midnight in late June, after receiving reports that she was cutting fire alarm wires outside her apartment. A lawsuit filed by her family after her death said she told police at the scene the F.B.I. was using the alarm to spy on her. According to video from the scene and police reports, when officers tried to get her to go into their car, she ran into her apartment and locked the door.
A Mental Health Crisis. An Officer’s Gun. A Too-Common Tragedy.
