The estate of a man shot and killed in June by Portland police after he called 911 for help has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Michael Townsend called 911 while experiencing suicidal ideations and told the dispatcher he had the means to hurt himself, according to a transcript of the 911 call.
Paramedics and police responded to a Motel 6 where Townsend told them he wanted to go to the hospital. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said when officer Brett Emmons told Townsend they would need to pat him down, Townsend pulled a pointed tool out of his pocket.
Video released by the Portland Police Bureau shows two officers and four firefighters stepping back as Townsend advances. In the video, Emmons appears to reach for his Taser while officer Curtis Brown shoots Townsend, who falls to the ground.
A grand jury chose not to indict Brown on criminal charges. The Portland Police Bureau is conducting an internal investigation to determine if the officers violated policies.
The wrongful death complaint, filed Monday in Multnomah County circuit court, alleges the city should have dispatched more qualified mental health professionals.
While Portland is currently grappling with how to better respond to mental health calls, the lawsuit says Townsend’s call could have been routed to the County Mental Health Call Center or to the Tri-County 911 Service Coordination Program, a program designed to connect frequent 911 callers to health and social services that might better fit their needs.
Instead, the lawsuit says, “residents like Mr. Townsend who call 911 during a mental health crisis often end up dealing with armed police officers, and if they survive their encounters with armed police officers, often end up in the criminal justice system, rather than the mental health system.”
The family is not seeking monetary damages and wants an order requiring Portland to better train officers responding to welfare check calls and requirements for 911 dispatchers to make “good faith efforts” to route mental health calls to the specialized teams.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who serves as the city’s police commissioner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Oregon
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