Family: Avon man killed by deputy was schizophrenic
Bradley King called police before he died.
The 29-year-old Brownsburg native was schizophrenic and was having a mental episode, said Sheila Robertson, King's aunt. He was scared for his life, she said.
He was fatally shot by a Hendricks County reserve deputy in his backyard just before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
"All he wanted was peace in his mind," Robertson said. "That’s all he wanted."
Hendricks County Sheriff's Capt. Amanda Goings said dispatchers received two calls, believed to be from the same person, from a residence in the 1200 block of Sheffield Drive in Avon.
In the first call, at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, King called and asked to speak to an officer before telling dispatchers to disregard the call. The second, at 2:24 p.m., came in as an incomplete call. When dispatchers called back, King said the call was an accident.
Both times, Goings said, officers were sent to the home to check on the caller. The first time, officers couldn't make contact with anyone inside. The second time, two reserve deputies found King in the backyard.
They asked him to identify himself, to take his hands out of his pockets. When he did, he revealed a kitchen knife, Goings said. When told to drop the knife, King "rapidly approached" one of the officers, Goings said.
That officer fired a single shot, hitting King in the torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
But King's family says he never would have lunged at an officer. He was sweet, nonconfrontational, kind.
He was also schizophrenic.
"He struggled so bad," Robertson said. "He fought, though, every day."
King's father, Matt King, who is an employee of Gannett Publishing, said his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 20, but he had never been a violent person.
"Brad was the most kindhearted personality you ever met in your life," Matt King said. "He put a smile on everyone’s face."
And now family members say they have more questions than they have answers.
Did the officers try to talk to him? Why didn't the officer use a Taser? Was nonlethal force an option?
"He was alone, and he was already afraid," Robertson said. "The people that he called to ask them for help took him out of this world."
Robertson said there needs to be a systematic change across all agencies to update the mental health training they receive so they can identify people who might not be mentally stable instead of using force to subdue them.
"Does it cost money? Of course it costs money," she said. "Is a life worth saving?"
Hendricks County reserve deputies are volunteer officers, Goings said, and receive 40 hours of training and complete required field work before joining the department. All officers, full-time and reserve, must continue to complete required training, such as firearms training, mental health training and emergency vehicle training, throughout the year, Goings said.
Because of the $900 cost, not every reserve deputy is issued a Taser but Goings said the officer involved was carrying one.
She said officers are trained in the use of force, meaning that they have to decide, given the situation, what the reasonable amount of force to use is.
"If there were any policies that were violated, we will address that administratively," she said.
Robertson said she supports police, but she said fatal shootings, like that of her nephew, cannot continue to happen.
"If he wouldn’t have called the cops, he would have still been here today," she said. "Until it happens to everybody and some of their family, no one’s going to understand."
Goings said the office sends its condolences to all people involved in the incident.
"That's a tragic situation for everybody involved," Goings said. "No officer wants to be placed in that situation. Our hearts go out to the family and the community."
Goings said the deputy, whose name has not been released, will not return to work until an internal investigation has been completed. Since the deputy is a reserve officer and not full-time, he cannot be placed on administrative leave.
Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.