Two Colorado parents say they want prosecutors to file criminal charges after their 22-year-old son was fatally shot by police during an apparent mental health crisis in June.
Body camera footage released this week shows police breaking Christian Glass’s car window and the Clear Creek County sheriff’s deputy firing five rounds at Glass while he was inside his car.
The incident occurred after Glass called 911 for roadside assistance in the small mountain town of Silver Plume, Colorado, approximately 45 miles west of Denver.
The case is renewing calls from advocates that police should prioritize de-escalation when responding to mental health crises, rather than reacting with force.
Context: Advocates say police are are not best suited to handle the myriad of mental health-related calls they receive — calls that advocates say are sent to law enforcement because mental health services are so scarce.
As many as 50% of fatal encounters with law enforcement involve someone with a mental illness, estimated a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
In Denver and New York, behavioral health specialists are dispatched to 911 callers facing crises that police may not be trained to address or even exacerbate.
What happened in June: After Christian Glass’s death on June 11, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release saying Glass was shot after he became “argumentary and uncooperative” and tried to stab an officer. when police broke a car window to grab him.
But body camera footage shows Glass pleading with officers and at one point offering to disarm himself by throwing his knives out his car window.
What is happening now: Colorado’s Fifth Judicial District, which includes Clear Creek County, said it is investigating the case along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. They plan to eventually issue a report on the shooting or present the case to a grand jury, which would decide whether indictments should be issued.
Advocates say de-escalation was necessary
Police have not said if any behavioral health specialists were called in for Glass.
Use-of-force and de-escalation experts who reviewed the footage said the case is an example of when a behavioral health specialist or crisis response team — programs that are becoming increasingly popular across the country , may have helped de-escalate the situation and bypass Glass. ‘ death.
“There are some real red flags that suggest potential problems,” said Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and leading use-of-force expert who reviewed parts of the footage. Stoughton testified at the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd.
Siddhartha Rathod, the attorney for Christian’s parents, Simon and Sally Glass, said Glass had no history of mental illness.
Sen. Michael Bennett, a Democrat from Colorado, has proposed legislation aimed at helping more police departments create and fund teams that pair police officers with mental health workers.
The effort would use existing COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services funding) grants that can be used for a wide variety of local policing efforts. Much of the money is available to help communities hire more officers or improve school safety.
What happened the night of June 11?
Body camera footage shows a sheriff’s deputy firing five rounds at Christian Glass after shooting him with bean bags and shocking him with a stun gun.
Footage shows Glass refusing to get out of his car while telling police he’s “terrified” and making heart shapes with his hands at officers. At one point, he can also be seen praying with his hands together and saying, “Dear Lord, please don’t let them break the window.
When the officers broke the window, Glass appeared to panic and grabbed a knife.
Police then shot Glass with bean bag rounds and shocked him with a stun gun before the young man spun around in his seat and threw a knife at an officer, the video showed. An officer then fired his gun, hitting Glass. The recordings then show Glass stabbing himself before dying.
An autopsy report released by the family’s attorney found Glass had THC, a blood alcohol concentration of .01% and amphetamine in his system, the latter of which Rathod said was likely due to a prescription for Glass for ADHD.
“Christian was experiencing a crisis and called 911 for help,” Rathod said. “And yet these officers broke Christian’s window, shot him six times with bean bag rounds, shocked him multiple times with two Tasers, and then shot him five times.”
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation handles police shootings, including the Glass case, but the family wants prosecutors to file criminal charges, Rathod said.
The family demands responsibility
At a tearful news conference Tuesday, Christian’s mother, Sally Glass, showed off a Jesus pendant recovered from her son’s car engraved with the words “Pray for us.”
“We have to pray for us in America to make this a less violent country,” said Sally Glass. “I think a lot of people would now agree that there is a systemic problem with surveillance: It is too aggressive. They escalate at every opportunity, and it seems like they’re looking for a fight. … They should be protecting us, not attacking us.”
Glass said her son was “petrified” and “paralyzed” with fear the night he was killed.
“I have a hole in my heart, and it will be there until the day I die,” Glass said.
Contributor: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY; Associated Press.
