A Vietnam veteran was shot and killed in Lakeland by deputies after efforts to de-escalate turned dangerous, according to the sheriff’s office.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said deputies had no choice but to shoot 76-year-old Ronald Breese after initially being dispatched for a mental health crisis.
“They were risking their life to save his life,” Judd said.
An investigation is still underway.
The sheriff’s office said all of its deputies receive an initial 40 hours of nationally recognized and accredited crisis intervention training, according to a spokesperson. Each year, refresher courses also take place during mandatory re-training sessions.
The training helps prepare law enforcement for mental health-related calls, including suicide or other activities that may cause concern.
“It sounds like he knew that there were the resources that were available to him and it is extremely unfortunate that it ended the way that it did,” April Lott, Directions for Living CEO, said.
Lott, who heads the nonprofit organization supporting mental health, works closely with law enforcement agencies on topics like crisis intervention team training. Skills such as verbal de-escalation and scenario-based training have led to positive results.
While law enforcement may be equipped with tools, Lott said not every situation can be de-escalated and the safety of both the individual and officers must be considered.
“Officer safety has to be paramount in these situations and we would never expect or ask our law enforcement officers to not exercise due caution for their own self in situations like that,” Lott said.
Lott recommends loved ones contact organizations, including the National Association on Mental Illness, for those seeking support or resources. Mental Health First Aid training can also be useful in helping others who are experiencing mental health crises.
In the meantime, Lott said partnerships between mental health professionals and law enforcement are helping improve outcomes.
“That these kinds of outcomes that we’re talking about here today is not what anybody wants. Every law enforcement officer, I think probably in the country went into the field to help people. So it is, but it’s been inspirational to see kind of these disciplines coming together to work in partnership, to get better outcomes,” Lott said.