Family, community mourn woman killed by Baltimore police during mental health crisis call: “She has
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Behavioral health emergencies demonstrate what police face daily
A 70-year-old woman was shot dead by police after brandishing a knife. The same day, police were called for help after a man perched on an apartment balcony. Residents in both neighborhoods described how distressing and traumatic the situations were. Janet Bailey, president of the LaBurt Community Association, went door to door to hand out flyers for a mental health center in her West Baltimore neighborhood. “I want people to know there is help in this community for mental health,” Bailey told 11 News Investigates. ‘I cried as somebody’s mother, grandmother, I cried somebody’s sister,” Bailey said. ‘We are here to support them with anything that they need,’ said Mayor Catherine P. O’Malley. ‘This is a response to what we face every day,’ said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. ‘It’s not an excuse to shoot someone,’ he said, ‘but we have to do what we need to do to protect the public.’ ‘We have to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help these people,’ said O’Mara.
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Two people enduring mental health emergencies in Baltimore — one shot by police and the other taken for help after holding officers at bay for 16 hours — are just two examples of what police say officers face daily.In both neighborhoods, residents described how distressing and traumatic the situations were. With sorrow and seeking answers, Janet Bailey went to the Mosher Street scene of Wednesday’s fatal police shooting of a 70-year-old woman. City police said the woman may have been suffering a mental health emergency when she brandished a knife and lunged at an officer.”(She was) 70 years old. I cried. I cried as somebody’s mother, grandmother, sister,” Bailey told 11 News Investigates. “I lay some flowers down.”Bailey, who is the president of the LaBurt Improvement Community Association, told 11 News Investigates that was so concerned that she went door to door to hand out flyers for a mental health center in her West Baltimore neighborhood. “I want people to know there is help in this community for mental health,” Bailey told 11 News Investigates.The same day, over on 29th Street across from Wyman Park, police were called for a 32-year-old man suffering an apparent behavioral health emergency while perched on an apartment balcony on the 13th floor.”(He was) on the balcony, completely naked, straddling the banister, and, at times, looking like he was going to jump, but then, sitting down on the railing, straddling the railing. It was pretty intense,” Joe Gallagher, a witness, told 11 News Investigates.Police said the department’s Crisis Response Team, negotiators and fire crews remained at the scene for 16 1/2 hours before they were ultimately able to pull the man to safety and get him to a hospital for treatment. Adrienne Breidenstine, the vice president of policy and communications at Behavioral Health System Baltimore. said the summer months can contribute to behavioral health, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.”Research has shown (that) the summer months can lead to people feeling more distressed, and we actually see more of an increase in people calling our 988 Helpline because they are in distress, more so in the summer months than we do in the winter months,” Breidenstine told 11 News Investigates.Stefanie Mavronis, director of the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, said MONSE officials visited the neighborhoods impacted to share information about services, as well as assess the needs of the community.”We want to make sure that we can be here to let the neighbors know we’re here to support them with whatever they need,” Mavronis told 11 News Investigates.Anyone who finds themselves in need of support or help can call 988.
Residents familiar with man who died in police custody
A man who police believe was suffering from a mental health crisis walked into the street several times. The man was put in a police car and taken to the hospital, but he died 4.5 hours later. This is the third incident involving mental health issues in a matter of days. Residents are familiar with the man who died in police custody. They say they are concerned about the treatment of the mentally ill in West BALTIMORE. The city’s police and fire departments are working together to address the problem, but it is still a big challenge for the police force to deal with, residents say. Click here for more information on the West Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore Fire Department. The Baltimore Police Department is working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details.
Advertisement Residents familiar with man who died in police custody while suffering apparent mental health crisis Editorial Standards ⓘ
The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division is investigating another incident with police and someone having an apparent mental health crisis.Police said a man died early Wednesday after officers restrained him and tried to get him medical help.The incident began Tuesday night in West Baltimore, a day before the fatal shooting of a 70-year-old woman and the safe rescue of a 34-year-old man.”For the man walking the street, crossing the street, he walks back and forth in the street doing… walking back and forth. That’s what he does,” said nearby resident Janet Bailey, who said she has seen the man many times.Neighbors said there have been a number of instances where they have seen people in need of care walking along Mulberry Street in West Baltimore, less than a block from the intersection of West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road.”We see them coming up and down the block acting a little crazy,” said nearby resident Sherrian Cunningham. “I don’t know if it is mental health, drug related or alcohol or heat. But I do know they act a little crazy, but they never interfere with anybody. They don’t come and bother anybody. They do what they do.”According to the IID, as an officer talked to the man, the man walked into the street several times. The officer tried to restrain the man, and other officers arrived and put him in handcuffs and leg restraints. The man then became unresponsive. Officers called for an ambulance, nearly an hour after the beginning of the incident.The ambulance did not arrive, officials said, so officers put the man in a police car and took him to the hospital. He died less than five hours later.”I can’t imagine if police call for an ambulance in an emergency situation why they would not show up,” one nearby resident said. “That makes no sense to me.”This is the third incident involving behavioral health issues in a matter of days.On Wednesday, police shot and killed a 70-year-old woman on Mosher Street. Police said she brandished a knife and lunged at an officer. Another officer shot her.The same day, a naked man threatened to jump off a balcony. Police said the crisis response team, negotiators and the fire department spent more than 16 hours at the scene before getting the man off the balcony and to a hospital.11 News Investigates spoke with former deputy commissioner Jason Johnson about the unpredictable incidents and the training officers get to handle them. Johnson was with BPD when the consent decree started and is now president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.”Most of the time, it’s going to be your frontline patrol officers who are interacting with people in mental health crises. They do have good training to deal with it. The tactics have improved significantly,” Johnson said. “The police response to mental health crisis, that’s a big challenge for law enforcement.”Johnson said he still thinks the incidents happen on a case-by-case basis, and don’t indicate a larger issue.”While I think the community might be concerned, and rightfully concerned, quite frankly, I don’t think it indicates anything. I think we have to look at each individual case,” Johnson said.In a statement on Friday, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen called for a hearing to examine the city’s crisis response teams, saying:”Over the past week, three of our neighbors died during or after encounters with police while experiencing apparent behavioral health crises. These tragedies are a heartbreaking reminder that far too many Baltimoreans suffer in silence. Today I am calling for a hearing in the City Council’s Public Safety Committee to examine our behavioral health crisis response systems.”As the first city in the nation to implement trauma informed care legislation, Baltimore must continue to lead the way on how we address these issues. The City Council has fought for years to increase funding for Baltimore Crisis Response Inc because we know that law enforcement alone can not be expected to solve this problem. Now is the time for effective oversight to make sure all of our systems work together.”We owe it to all Baltimoreans whose lives have been shattered in these moments of crisis to take action and get this right.”A spokesperson for Baltimore police told 11 News that BPD is aware of the incident and they are investigating it alongside the Attorney General’s Office. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Independent Investigations Division at 410-576-7070 or by sending them an email.
Family, community mourn woman killed by Baltimore police during mental health crisis call: “She has a name”
70-year-old Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks was shot and killed by Baltimore police during a behavioral crisis call. The woman lunged at officers with a knife twice – once after an officer fell to the ground – prompting a second officer to fire two shots that ultimately killed her. The neighborhood president of the Laburt Improvement Community Association distributed flyers door-to-door in the summer heat. “She has rights, too,” Janet Bailey said. “So, my prayers are with her and her family. I’m going to pass out these flyers today in the heat – come hell or high water, our people need to know.” The woman was described by her family as a generous, loving soul who struggled with mental health but didn’t deserve to die. The family is currently preparing for her funeral at the Funeral Home for her home as the Funerals Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s office investigates the shooting. “It’s an awesome place, run by some awesome people,” said her cousin, LaRae Taylor.
Family, community mourn woman killed by Baltimore police during mental health crisis call: “She has
Family, community mourn woman killed by Baltimore police during mental health crisis call: “She has
The death of 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks, who was shot and killed by Baltimore police during a behavioral crisis call, left a neighborhood in mourning, and her family demanding better mental health support and accountability.
“She has a name,” said her cousin, LaRae Taylor. “And her name is Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks.”
Baltimore woman killed by police
Clark-Brooks was killed on Wednesday, June 25, after police responded to her home on Mosher Street in West Baltimore.
According to Police Commissioner Richard Worley, the woman lunged at officers with a knife twice – once after an officer fell to the ground – prompting a second officer to fire two shots that ultimately killed her.
“In an attempt to de-escalate the situation and exit the house, the officer fell onto the floor,” Worley said. “When he fell, the woman lunged at the officer on the floor with a knife. A second officer behind fired two shots, striking the woman.”
West Baltimore neighbors react
Even before her name was released, residents were grieving the loss of Clark-Brooks.
Janet Bailey, President of the Laburt Improvement Community Association, said she cried when she learned a 70-year-old woman had been killed by police – especially during a mental health emergency.
“Even if you shot her,” Bailey said. “Could she be shot in the leg or the foot, in the arm, in the shoulder where she had the knife and was coming down on y’all? Couldn’t she have been shot in the shoulder? Did she have to be shot two times and killed? 70 years old…I’m saying, 70 years old.”
Bailey, who has lived in the neighborhood for decades, immediately began distributing flyers door-to-door in the summer heat. The flyers directed residents to local behavioral health services.
“She has rights, too,” Bailey said. “So, my prayers are with her and her family. I’m going to pass out these flyers today in the heat – come hell or high water, our people need to know.”
The flyers included information about the Tuerk House, a behavioral crisis center and urgent care facility just around the corner from where the shooting happened.
Bailey also placed a sign at the intersection of Mosher and Ashburton that reads, “We mourn our loss.”
“Whether I knew her name or not, she’s part of this community,” Bailey said.
Clark-Brooks’ family speaks out
On Thursday the woman killed was identified as Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks, described by her family as a generous, loving soul who struggled with mental health but didn’t deserve to die.
Taylor said she first saw a headline about a 70-year-old woman shot during a mental health crisis, but didn’t connect the story to her cousin.
“I didn’t even look at the street name,” she said. “I just kept going about my day.”
It wasn’t until relatives arrived at the scene and entered the home that they learned the truth.
Taylor returned to Mosher Street to collect some of Clark-Brooks’ belongings as police wrapped up the scene. She shared photos showing the back door kicked in and blood at the base of the carpeted stairs.
“We were able to walk in,” she said. “And the smell, and the blood…it’s something you’ll never forget.”
Despite Clark-Brooks’ documented history with mental illness, police said they had been called to the home more than 20 times. Taylor said her cousin was far more than a call log.
“She would give to you,” Taylor said. “She was a sister, a mother, a cousin. She wasn’t just a ‘mental person.’ She was a human who loved.”
Taylor, who used to work at the Tuerk House for more than seven years, said she was moved by Bailey’s decision to raise awareness in the community – not just to mourn, but to empower.
“It’s an awesome place, run by some awesome people,” Taylor said. “For the president of the community to come by and share awareness, putting awareness into action, that’s it right there. It makes me feel like my cousin’s death just won’t be in vain.”
Investigation ongoing
Clark-Brooks’ body is currently at March Funeral Home as the family prepares for her homegoing service.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) is reviewing the officer-involved shooting, as required by state law.
The IID has identified the involved Baltimore Police officers as Stephen Colbert, an eight-year veteran of the department, and Stephen Galewski, a three-year veteran, both with the patrol division.
The family said they will not comment further until they’ve reviewed the police body-worn camera footage.
Neighbors seek answers after Baltimore police shoot, kill 70-year-old woman
A 70-year-old woman was fatally shot by Baltimore Police after she allegedly lunged at them amid a mental health crisis a day earlier. This is the second fatal Baltimore Police officer-involved shooting in West Baltimore in a little more than a week. No one could give her the name of the woman who died, but that didn’t stop her attempts to memorialize her. A sign that read “We Mourn Our Loss” and flowers near Ashburton and Mosher streets were placed on the street Thursday morning. The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one by going to www.baltimoresun.com/news/features/2013/01/29/baltimore-banner-news/story.html#storylink=cpy. For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
There were no signs that a 70-year-old woman had been fatally shot by Baltimore Police after she allegedly lunged at them amid a mental health crisis a day earlier. This is the second fatal Baltimore Police officer-involved shooting in West Baltimore in a little more than a week.
“How quickly they are to make us disappear,” said Janet Bailey, the president of Laburt Improvement Community Association.
In her tie-dye shirt, blue shorts and brown sandals, Bailey walked the block in 90-degree weather early Thursday. No one could give her the name of the woman who died, but that didn’t stop her attempts to memorialize her.
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Bailey created a sign that read “We Mourn Our Loss” and rested it and flowers near Ashburton and Mosher streets. She’s praying people will add more flowers and write their names on the sign.
The neighborhood is filled with rowhomes, some of which look abandoned. Others are fenced off with patches of green in the front yards.
Janet Bailey, who runs a community fridge on Ashburton Street, placed flowers and a sign reading “We Mourn Our Loss” at Mosher and Ashburton on Thursday, urging others to add names and tributes for the 70-year-old woman fatally shot by police. (Darreonna Davis/The Baltimore Banner)
On Wednesday, police were called twice to the Mosher neighborhood to address a woman experiencing a mental health crisis. The two calls, per the Maryland attorney general’s office’s preliminary investigation, were for a wellness check and a woman attempting to stab the caller.
According to Police Commissioner Richard Worley, they had been to the home about 20 times before. The woman allegedly lunged at officers with a knife, and they deployed a Taser on her. Officers gave verbal commands and one fell over a chair while trying to leave the house, Worley said.
According to Worley, the woman lunged at that officer while he was on the ground and another shot her twice. The attorney general’s office said Thursday another officer deployed their Taser.
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Officers rendered aid to the woman, but she died at a nearby hospital from her injuries. The officer who fell was taken to a hospital, treated and has since been released, the attorney general’s office said.
The Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is leading the investigation. Officials have not released the names of the woman killed or of the officer who fatally shot her.
Simultaneously Wednesday in the 100 block of West 29th Street, Northern District officers were hours into responding to a 32-year-old man threatening to jump from the 13th floor of an apartment balcony, police said.
Baltimore Police on the scene of a police-involved shooting in the 2700 block of Mosher Street on Wednesday. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
According to the Baltimore Police Department, officers responded around 6 a.m. Wednesday and worked for 16 hours to negotiate and pull the man back into the building. Negotiators, crisis response units and Baltimore City Fire Department personnel assisted in this case.
Baltimore Police’s Crisis Response
Baltimore’s Behavioral Health Gap Analysis Implementation Plan outlined how police dispatchers should divert 911 calls for behavioral health crises to clinicians at Here2Help, the Baltimore Crisis Response hotline, after they have answered key questions about their situation.
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This plan was implemented following an assessment of the Baltimore Police Department’s behavioral health service system as required in the April 2017 consent decree. Baltimore Police officers take varying levels of training on responding to crises.
All BPD officers are required to take 24 hours of entry-level behavioral health awareness training and eight hours of in-service training. Dispatchers and 911 specialists are required to take eight hours of in-service training.
Crisis Intervention Team Certified Patrol Officers must take 40 hours of specialization training and an annual eight-hour refresher training. Those who are part of the Crisis Response Team take 40 hours of specialization training and advanced training and co-respond with a licensed clinician to behavioral health crises.
The curriculum for the Crisis Intervention Team includes multiple classes, including two from the Baltimore office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
According to Julie Funk of NAMI Baltimore, the organization provides workshops on empathy and working with families and caregivers in crisis to Baltimore and Baltimore County Police officers. Last year, it led 15 training sessions with Baltimore and Baltimore County Police.
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‘Over 20 times’
Learning about both situations on Wednesday, Bailey couldn’t help but wonder if there was no other way to handle the situation in her neighborhood than to kill the woman.
“Are we now picking and choosing who’s an asset and a liability? Are we now choosing who lives and dies?” Bailey asked, sweating and frustrated.
Bailey couldn’t stop asking why police didn’t call the Crisis Stabilization Center at Tuerk House, just a four-minute walk away. “You’ve been there over 20 times,” she said. The center, which offers short-term care for people in crisis, accepts walk-ins and referrals from EMS, hospitals and mobile crisis teams.
Chris Maynard, a spokesperson for Tuerk House, said the organization offers psychotherapy, counseling, substance use treatment and a pharmacy. Its Crisis Stabilization Center serves people with substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health issues, Maynard said.
Loved ones and first responders bring patients to the center, however. It doesn’t respond to crisis calls.
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“If we have a clinician available, they would get on the line for sure,” Maynard said, “but we’re sort of like an ER where they come to us.”
Bailey’s suggestion that police have assistance, though, resonated with others in the community, including Aaron Maybin, the chairman of the Baltimore City Civilian Review Board. In a statement shared on Instagram, Maybin called for greater trauma-informed care and deescalation training for police and residents.
“When a person has a history with mental health issues, a situation like this needs to be looked at as a behavioral health emergency and responded to with the necessary tools and resources to ensure the safety of officers and the people in the community that they are meant to serve,” Maybin said.
Nine days ago, Baltimore Police officers fatally shot arabber Bilal “BJ” Abdullah 38 times after he fired three shots at them in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Abdullah’s shooting, which also happened in West Baltimore, sparked outrage among residents toward police and led to a rally Friday ahead of his funeral Saturday. On Monday, police released body camera video that showed the moments that led up to the deadly shooting between Abdullah and police.
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“It is truly unfortunate that two lives have recently been lost. Community members are concerned about the use of force resulting in death,” Councilman John Bullock said Thursday. “Such events highlight the need for deescalation in the midst of mental health crises. We understand the dangers inherent in law enforcement and also mourn with families for the loss of life of their loved ones.”
A man also died in police custody early Wednesday morning after Baltimore officers restrained him during what officials described as a mental health crisis — a case now under investigation by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
According to a preliminary report from the IID, the encounter began in West Baltimore around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, when a man approached a Baltimore Police officer stopped at a traffic light near West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road. The man, who has not been publicly identified, repeatedly walked into the road, prompting the officer to intervene “for the man’s own safety,” according to the IID.
Body camera video shows deadly Baltimore County police shooting during mental health episode
Glenn Pettie, 43, was shot and killed after officers responded to a mental health crisis. Pettie’s mother told WJZ she called the police to de-escalate the situation, but instead, the response turned fatal. The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office is investigating the shooting. The IID will determine if the shooting was justified or if charges should be filed. The officer, identified as four-year veteran Michael Brady, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office is investigating.
The IID will determine if the shooting was justified or if charges should be filed.
What led up to the deadly shooting?
Police responded to the 8200 block of N. Boundary Street in Dundalk, where they found 43-year-old Glenn Pettie armed and in the middle of a mental health episode.
Pettie’s mother told WJZ she called the police to de-escalate the situation, but instead, the response turned fatal.
Investigators said officers attempted to speak with Pettie around the back of the home before he fired shots. That’s when police said officers shot Pettie, who died after being taken to the hospital.
Neighbors told WJZ that Pettie’s grandmother and 20-year-old son were pleading with the officers to stop shooting.
“They knocked on her door, they knew he had mental health issues, so one cop gets out, knocks on the door, and the other cop sits in his car,” said a neighbor. “Then the one cop gets on his radio and tells the other cop he’s going to walk around back.”
The officer, identified as four-year veteran Michael Brady, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Community reacts to shooting
Residents told WJZ the mental health crisis could have been handled without Pettie being shot to death.
Neighbors and the family acknowledged Pettie’s mental health issues. He made a social media post before he was killed that said, in part, “I’m tired of no sleep…this town has gobbled me up and showed no love for me and mine.”
Pettie’s neighbor said police “could have done it a different way.”
“Even when he was going through his mental health crisis, we would talk to him, I would talk to him,” a neighbor said. “He would say, ‘You are my Libra friend,’ and he always smiled and talked to me. I was always able to calm him down and talk to him. They could have done it a different way.”