Concerns over mental health crisis response after two deaths in Baltimore by police encounters

Concerns over mental health crisis response after two deaths in Baltimore by police encounters

Concerns over mental health crisis response after two deaths in Baltimore by police encounters 02:50

Two Baltimore families are grieving after their loved ones died following encounters with police.

Loved ones of Pytorcarcha Brooks held her funeral Friday, and the Maryland attorney general's office has now identified 31-year-old Dontae Melton Jr. as the man who died in police custody more than three weeks ago. 

A community association president has expressed serious concerns about the response to people having a mental health crisis. 

Community concerns

WJZ spoke to Janet Bailey, the president of Laburt Improvement Community Association, as she headed to the funeral of 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks. 

Pytorcarcha Brooks was shot and killed by Baltimore City Police while having a mental health crisis on Wednesday, June 25. Mike Hellgren

On June 25th, police went into Brooks' home, tased, then shot and killed her, according to authorities. They said she posed a threat with a knife. 

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Brooks pulled a knife, disregarded police commands, and attacked officers with the weapon.

Worley said officers tried to use a Taser on Brooks, but it was ineffective, and she kept advancing toward them with the knife. 

According to police, one officer fell, and Brooks charged at him with the knife, prompting another officer to fire two shots at her. Brooks was pronounced dead at a hospital. 

"I cried knowing this woman had been struggling with mental illness for a long time—and the way she died. The way she died! It didn't have to be like that," Bailey said. "70 years old. It just didn't."

Baltimore Police released video showing the moments that led to officers shooting and killing Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks on June 25.  Baltimore Police

They had been called to that home at least 20 times in the months before that deadly encounter. 

"We need a team out here who can go in and talk to the people who have these issues. That's what we need. Not somebody who is going to shoot them, but somebody who can talk to them and talk them down from wherever they're at," Bailey said. "I thought that's what it was supposed to be after the consent decree and the Freddie Gray and all this. What happened? Somebody dropped the ball somewhere down the line, and now, here up in West Baltimore, we are paying the cost."

She told the members of the Public Safety Committee, "I still can't see how you justify Ms. Brooks and Mr. Melton being killed in West Baltimore."

Body cam footage shows police warning Brooks twice before she charges at an officer with a knife. Baltimore Police

"This incident is particularly painful because the individual involved was clearly experiencing a behavioral health crisis. We have taken significant steps to strengthen our behavioral health response system and 911 diversion program in the city of Baltimore with the goal of sending the most appropriate response to a situation, not just the fastest or most familiar," Mayor Brandon Scott said after the release of the body camera videos. "We have made real progress on this front and seen the positive impact in the lives of those we serve. But we know there is more to do. Incidents like this strengthen my commitment to building systems that can manage the volume of crisis calls we receive with the intentionality, care, and urgency our residents deserve."

The mayor also said, "Unfortunately, not every call can be handled by crisis response teams, especially when there are threats of violence or reasonable concerns for safety. That being said, significant questions remain about the sequence of events that took place in this incident and decisions that were made. As the investigation unfolds, we will evaluate every piece of this incident to identify whether changes need to be made to ensure an outcome like this never happens again. I will be in constant contact with Commissioner Worley as that process unfolds."

Dontae Melton case

WJZ Investigates has extensively covered the case of Dontae Melton Jr. Police restrained him, the attorney general's office said, for his own safety at West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road on June 24th. 

Because of a reported failure with the city's communication system, a medic never came. 

"My plea is for the people who are in charge of these systems to get it right. My plea is that another family will never have to endure this kind of pain," Melton's mother Eleshiea Goode told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "To know that my son died alone when he had so many family and friends, and everybody who had been there in a second had we known."

On June 24, Dontae Melton Jr., 31, was restrained and handcuffed by police after he approached an officer in a marked police car at a red light. Investigators said Melton died after an ambulance never arrived, and he was driven to the hospital in a police vehicle.  Eleshiea Goode

After 23 days, the attorney general's office released the names of ten officers in the case. The body-worn camera videos have yet to be released. 

"They're slow walking this thing. They're slow walking," Bailey said. "They're hoping to sweep this under the rug, and you'll forget it. We won't forget."

The attorney general's office said they have 20 business days to release the body camera video. They said that release can be delayed for various reasons, including if they need more time for the investigation. 

The Baltimore police union Friday criticized the release of the officers' names.

"The recent release of the names of officers involved in the Dontae Melton Jr. case sets a dangerous precedent with far-reaching consequences. This was not a dynamic incident like a police officer involved shooting or similar incident," FOP3 President Mike Mancuso said in a statement posted to X. "This incident is all on body worn camera! This is clearly a mental health incident where the police officers pleaded for help from other city agencies, and that help never came. If AG Brown felt the need to release names in an obvious mental health case, why not release the names of all involved in the breakdown of services from the beginning all the way to the hospital staff? Weren't they all involved in this incident?  Singling out only the officers suggests that this is unbalanced and is politically motivated."

The attorney general's Independent Investigations Division "continues to investigate the circumstances of the police-involved, in-custody death," AG Anthony Brown's office said. "Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070."