DETROIT – Five Detroit police officers fired a total of 38 shots, killing a 22-year-old man during a mental health check because he rammed them with a knife, according to authorities.
On Tuesday afternoon, Detroit Police Chief James White showed body camera footage of what happened the night of the fatal shooting. He said that he wanted to provide the update in an “abundance of transparency”.
The chief said officers are trained to “stop the threat,” so they fired dozens of shots in a matter of three seconds when Porter Burks charged at them while holding a knife.
You can watch Mara MacDonald’s 5pm update in the video above.
Officers called home by family member
The officers were called at 5:01 a.m. on Sunday (October 2) at the 14900 block of Littlefield Street in DetroitWest Side.
“Upon arrival about three minutes later, officers spoke with a family member who informed them that his brother, a 22-year-old named Mr. Porter Burks, was suffering from a mental health condition and that he was, in fact, in custody. crisis,” White said. “He also informed the officer that Mr. Burks was armed with a knife and that he was concerned for Mr. Burks’ safety as well as the safety of the community.”
The brother told police that Burks had slashed the tires on his vehicle, White said.
Burks shot, killed
Officers said they found Burks in the area of Snowden Avenue and Lyndon Street. He was walking in the middle of the street while holding a knife in his right hand, according to authorities.
The folding-blade knife is about eight and a half inches long, White said.
The chief said a member of the department’s crisis intervention team talked to Burks and tried to get him to drop the knife. Body camera footage shows several officers talking to Burks from a short distance down the street.
“This officer told Mr. Burks that he had no problem once he was contacted, and that the officers were there to help him, but that he needed to put the knife down,” White said.
He said Burks refused to put down the knife. The officers were trying to form a plan that included one of them preparing a Taser for use, according to White.
“Does anyone have a taser around here?” One of the officers could be heard asking on body camera footage.
“While they were trying to negotiate with Mr. Burks, without warning, Mr. Burks charged at one of our officers with the knife in his hand,” White said. “The officer, fearing for his safety, and the other officers, fearing for the safety of his partner, fired their weapons.”
Burks was about six feet away from the officers when the last shot was fired, according to the chief. That’s too far away for a Taser to be effective, he said.
“As far as we can determine at this time, 38 shots were fired in three seconds,” said lead investigator Christopher Graveline, director of professional standards and constitutional policing. “There were five officers who fired their weapon. At this point, it appears that (Burks) has 15 wounds on his body.”
The medical examiner will investigate those injuries further to determine how many times Burks was shot, Graveline said.
“Officers had to stop the threat,” White said. “They felt threatened. Officers also on scene had to assess the threat and apprehend her. There is no time in three seconds and someone attacks you with a knife to look and see what other people are doing. You, as a trained police officer, are trained to stop the threat. Multiple officers fired shots, as we’ve indicated, and that’s part of their training, because you see someone walking forward with a knife.”
White said officers gave Burks first aid and took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The officers involved are on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation. The findings will be turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review of the case.
Family reacts to police briefing
Family members of Burks spoke to Local 4 following the release of the police body camera footage.
They said they tried to get into the police briefing on Tuesday but were denied. After watching the briefing online, they told Local 4 that they have a very different view of how the situation played out.
Family members believe the police are responsible for Burks’ death.
“I hate to say, if anyone here who has a family member, loved one or even a neighbor who is mentally ill: help them yourself,” a family member said. “Don’t call 911. They may not make it. Don’t call for help. Don’t call, please don’t call. If you love your loved one, try to help him yourself.”
Investigation into Burks’ past
Graveline said part of the DPD investigation involved looking back at previous encounters with Burks.
“What we have found is, unfortunately, a system that has failed Mr. Burks on a number of different occasions,” he said. “In recent years, there have been multiple occasions where he has called the police due to Mr. Burks’ violent behavior, and has sought to have him committed to the mental health system.”
Burks suffered from schizophrenia, which manifested itself in “violent behavior,” according to Graveline.
He said that in March 2020, Burks stabbed two family members. He stabbed his sister in the neck and hand, as well as his brother in the top of the head when he came to defend his sister, according to authorities.
In August 2020, Burks stabbed her 7 1/2-year-old stepsister in the neck, authorities said.
“Most recently, on June 26, the family called the Detroit police because he was walking up and down the block, looking to pick a fight with anyone,” Graveline said. “He was hospitalized at the time in the psychological ward at Sinai Grace. Two days later, Detroit police received a call that he had escaped from that room and was running through traffic on McNichols.”
Police tried to chase Burks as he weaved in and out of traffic in his hospital attire, Graveline said. They caught up with him and punched an officer in the face, according to authorities.
“At that point, we deployed a Taser,” Graveline said. “That Taser had no effect. It was only once that three other officers, so four, in total, were able to stop him at that time.”
Burks was returned to the hospital and a bench warrant package was presented to Wayne County prosecutors for resisting and obstructing a police officer, Graveline said. That was signed on July 21 and an order was issued on July 28.
He was “apparently” released from the hospital, according to Graveline. At that time, he had an active warrant for his arrest.
“What we’ve seen is a pattern where he’s brought in for psychological services, released and/or not followed through on his medication and violent behavior,” Graveline said.
Neighbors react to the shooting
Darlene Embry is still processing how Burks, her neighbor, was killed.
“He was like my son,” Embry said. “I am so hurt by this.
He doesn’t have a car. He walks to the store. To be shot, he had no gun. He had a knife.
Dimitrius Roberson-Bey said several of the officers’ shots hit his bus, which was parked nearby.
“It’s reckless, because I have five bullet holes in my bus, and they shot a guy who only had a knife,” Roberson-Bey said. “If you look at this from where they say it happened, to me, it looks like they were just trying to shoot him in the head. That the bullets go so high, it’s not good.”
Family hires Fieger
The family has hired attorney Geoffrey Fieger.
“We are working hard to understand how and why a mentally ill citizen, whose family called for help, was electrocuted and then reportedly fired more than 30 times,” Fieger told Local 4 in a statement.
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