MIAMI (WSVN) – Investigators are searching for answers as they try to figure out what led to a police-involved shooting in a Miami neighborhood.
The man remained at Jackson Memorial Hospital with his family Friday.
Pastor Dr. Gaston E. Smith, speaking on behalf of the family, identified the man as Donald Armstrong.
“He is currently in critical condition with trauma. We are praying that he survives,” he said. “At the moment he is fighting for his life.”
On Friday, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales issued a strongly worded statement regarding mental health and police conduct.
He said this in part:
We are currently conducting an internal investigation into all actions taken. The officer involved has been placed on leave pending an investigation.
The Commissioner added:
I am committed to making our department better able to respond to calls involving mental and behavioral issues.
It all started Thursday after 2 p.m. when Miami police responded to a report of a disturbance along Northwest 58th Avenue near the 7th Courthouse.
A witness who recorded video of the incident said he noticed police cars driving by in the neighborhood.
“I see this line of police cars. My instinct is to pull out my phone to see what happens,” he said.
Investigators said Armstrong refused to surrender.
Cellphone video showed a man standing on a front porch brandishing a knife, screaming at responding officers and refusing to drop the weapon.
“Shoot! Shoot in the heart!” a man can be heard saying in the video.
“They fired Tasers,” the witness said.
But Armstrong remained standing and the officer shocked him with a Taser a second time, knocking him off balance.
“This individual was unable to communicate any of our verbal commands. Our officers decided to deploy their Tasers, but they had no effect,” said Freddie Cruz of the Miami Police Department. the inspector said.
Armstrong nearly stumbled toward the officers, and as he fell to the ground, at least one officer fired, striking Armstrong multiple times.
“Oh my god. Oh my god,” a woman can be heard saying on a cellphone video that shows a man lying on the ground.
Paramedics rushed Alsumtrong to Ryder Trauma Center, where the investigation continues.
“I know he had some emotional, maybe mental issues, and his mother was concerned about that,” Smith said. “She asked for her help. She did not reach out for her son to be shot multiple times.”
Dr. Daniel Bober, chief of psychiatry at Memorial Regional Hospital, said cases like this are happening all over the country.
“It should be noted that mentally ill people are 16 times more likely to be killed in an encounter with police,” he said.
Bober said some departments have mental health professionals on hand to help with cases like this.
“This is definitely a call to action to get more training. I mean, more training is always good,” he said. “Maybe there is a way for police to have a mental health professional with them when they respond to these calls, and have the mental health professional try first to see if they have the determination to de-escalate the situation. You may be able to deal with it later, and if that doesn’t work, call the police if you can.”
Now, Amstrong’s family is seeking answers as to why this happened.
“The chief has reached out to the family, offering prayers and consideration to the family and promising to get to the bottom of what happened,” Smith said. “We want to make sure that this doesn’t get swept under the rug and that we do the right thing for this family and do the right thing by Donald and make sure that everything gets resolved.”
Smith said Armstrong’s mother also went to the emergency room for stress-related issues.
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