20-year-old man killed by Detroit police was dealing with mental health issues, family says
The family of 20-year-old Porter Burks wants answers as to why officers killed him instead of giving him the help he needs.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A mentally ill man was shot dead by detroit police Sunday morning. Now the family of 20-year-old Porter Burks wants answers about why officers killed him instead of giving him the help he needs.
“That’s a pain you could never heal; my sister is in pain. We’re in pain. You know he had a mental health problem. You’ve dealt with it before. Why would you kill him?” said Michelle Wilson of Porter. aunt.
The family says they called 911 Saturday night and Sunday morning because Burks had a knife. The family says Burks didn’t attack them.
“Just to send EMS so they could get him back into mental treatment, that’s all we wanted to get him back into mental treatment,” said Damondo Anderson, Porter’s brother.
RELATED: Detroit Police Investigate Deadly Officer-Involved Shooting Sunday Morning
Detroit Police Chief James White says his officers found Burks with a knife in Snowden near Lyndon on Detroit’s west side.
A witness tells FOX 2 that the officers tried to defuse the tension and asked Burks to put the knife down.
Chief White says his officers deployed a Taser but did not stop Burks. The witness says that Burks then charged at the officers, who shot and killed him.
Chief White says it’s early in the investigation and his department is committed to transparency.
“Porter loves to dance. He was always smiling. He had some challenges, he was dealing with his mental health issues. Detroit needs to help people who have health issues, not take them away from us,” Michelle said.
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