The mother of Messiah McMillian, shot by Chandler police during a mental health crisis, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, seeking policy reform.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — The mother of a Chandler man who was shot and killed by police during a mental health crisis has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police department, alleging officers escalated a situation that should have been handled by mental health professionals.
Kelly Woods filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son, 27-year-old Messiah McMillian, who was shot and killed by Chandler police on March 20, 2025.
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The lawsuit alleges Woods specifically requested a crisis response team when she called 911 after learning her son was experiencing a mental health episode. McMillian suffered from schizophrenia, according to court filings.
“My son didn’t deserve that. I want to see justice for my son, and I want to see policy and protocol changed the way they approach a mental health call,” Woods said during a news conference announcing the lawsuit. “He didn’t have to die like that. He died in a parking lot. He didn’t deserve that.”
According to police, officers were initially called to an apartment complex near Commonwealth Avenue after McMillian’s grandmother reported concerns about her grandson, who had a knife and was threatening himself and his grandmother.
Woods and her attorneys contend the response should have involved mental health clinicians rather than armed patrol officers.
The lawsuit alleges two Chandler patrol officers responded to the scene, including one officer who was still in training and had approximately four months of experience with the department.
In the days after the shooting, Chandler PD officers ordered McMillian to drop the knife, an order he refused and then came running at them with the knife in his hand. Attorneys representing the family claim there were no reports that McMillian posed a threat to anyone other than himself.
“From the first point of voice contact, ‘Hey, we’re Chandler police,’ 29 seconds go by until the fatal shooting of Messiah,” attorney Rob Mactavish said.
Mactavish argued officers escalated the encounter rather than attempting to de-escalate it.
“They responded as if this were a run-of-the-mill domestic dispute response,” Mactavish said. “By making direct contact with Messiah, they escalated the situation needlessly.”
The lawsuit further alleges officers waited nearly three minutes after shooting McMillian four times before rendering aid.
Attorneys for the family have also criticized the department’s decision not to release body camera footage from the incident. They say public records requests for the footage have been denied.
“It could be that it doesn’t fit the narrative that they’ve presented up to this point about, but we’ll see when we get our hands on the footage,” Mactavish said.
Court records show McMillian previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2018 and drug possession in 2024.
Despite his past legal troubles, Woods said her son had been working to improve his life.
“He was actually a kid. He made some mistakes, but he was a good kid,” Woods said. “He really was.”
The lawsuit seeks damages from the City of Chandler and the Chandler Police Department and calls for changes in how law enforcement responds to mental health crises.
In a statement, Chandler police said they could not comment on the allegations because the matter is pending litigation.
McMillian’s family says they hope the lawsuit leads to policy changes that could help prevent similar incidents involving people experiencing mental health emergencies.
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