No 'reason for this to end bad': Witness says police didn't need to kill mentally ill man
Update: The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department identified the officer who fatally shot the man as 28-year veteran Lt. John Perkins.
A former police/community liaison said he believes Sunday’s fatal shooting by an Indianapolis officer should have ended differently, and he is calling for a response from the city's leadership.
Gregory Meriweather, a former mayoral candidate, was visiting friends near the 4500 block of Woodland Drive during the standoff between Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers and a man with a machete.
Meriweather, who has almost 7,000 followers on Facebook, livestreamed the standoff and subsequent shooting.
"I wanted to be in the position of protecting that individual, but also to let law enforcement know there was someone on the scene monitoring what they were doing,” said Meriweather, whose videos had been watched more than 10,000 times as of Monday afternoon.
The man killed was identified as Kendall Darnell Gilbert, 40, by the Marion County Coroner's Office.
Officers were dispatched to the home at about 6:45 p.m. Sunday to check the welfare of a woman. The woman pushed an emergency alert button and said someone was trying to kill her, said Lt. Shane Foley, a spokesperson for the police department.
Officers were familiar with the people involved as police had been at the home multiple times over the weekend for mental-health related calls, Foley said.
Videos show confrontation
Meriweather’s Facebook videos showed Gilbert standing near a mailbox at the end of a driveway in the neighborhood on the city's northwest side. Gilbert was holding a machete, sometimes pointing it at and threatening officers, while also holding a large stick in portions of the videos, which are nearly two hours long.
The videos show negotiators trying to speak with Gilbert and an armored vehicle arriving. Toward the end of the video, several loud bangs and what appears to be a taser deploying are heard before gunshots ring out. Gilbert then falls to the ground near a police vehicle. Paramedics began treating Gilbert. He died at a hospital, according to police.
Meriweather previously worked as a community initiatives strategist under former IMPD Chief Bryan Roach.
“I didn't see a reason for this to end bad,” Meriweather said. “I didn't see a reason for him to end up with a bullet in him.”
He believes officers could have let Gilbert tire himself out or used tear gas to subdue him.
From earlier this month: An 'egregious pattern': Group, family demand transparency after officer shoots, kills man
"There is no doubt the death of Mr. Gilbert is a tragedy," IMPD said in a statement. "For 48 hours, IMPD Officers worked to peacefully resolve the situation, deploying less-lethal tactics and a psychologist with the Crisis Negotiation Unit was on-scene. Despite those measures, Mr. Gilbert moved towards officers with a machete in-hand. At that point, officers discharged their weapons."
No officers or other residents were hurt. The officer who discharged his firearm is a 28-year veteran of the department and has been placed on administrative leave, Foley said, which is standard protocol during an officer-involved shooting.
Mental health cost man his life, neighbor says
Donald Clark, who has lived a few doors down from where the shooting happened for the past 25 years, said it’s clear his neighbor was suffering from serious mental health problems.
"It goes back to the lack of institutions and help for people with mental health conditions,” Clark said. “It's just so sad. Someone lost their life because of mental illness."
Meriweather said he wants to hear from the city's leadership. Sunday's shooting came just days after police released an edited video showing another man, Gary Harrell, being shot in the back while running from Officer Douglas Correll with a revolver in his hand. There is no indication Harrell pointed the weapon at the officer as he fled before the Aug. 3 shooting.
“Leaders lead when situations like this happen,” Meriweather said. “The mayor of this city and the chief of this city should not be quiet with the amount of footage shown and the end result (in Sunday's shooting). When you are a leader of the general public this is not the time to be quiet. The people of this city deserve to hear from both of them.”
IndyStar sought comment from Mayor Joe Hogsett, who's running for reelection, and Police Chief Randal Taylor but received only written statements from their respective offices.
Crisis reponse team: City details new approach to mental health calls – without police
Mayor Hogsett's office points to expanded resources
"Our thoughts go out to all involved in yesterday’s incident," reads a statement from the city. "Over the past several years, the City of Indianapolis has greatly expanded the number of emergency mental health resources to those who need them."
The city included information about its Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCAT), which operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and include a clinician and a police officer.
Clinician-Led Community Response Teams, including a clinician and a peer specialist, also are active in the downtown district from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days per week. Hogsett’s proposed 2024 budget includes an expansion of the clinician-led teams to the city's east district. As the teams reach budgeted staffing, they will shift to 24-hour operations, according to the city's statement.
Residents, the statement said, also can get mental health and substance abuse intervention at the Assessment and Intervention Center, which is located on the Community Justice Campus. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Free rides to and from the center are available by calling 317-327-8733.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IMPD didn't need to shoot man with machete, says man who took video
