NOW WITH THE BREAKING NEWS ALERT THAT BREAKING NEWS COMING TO US FROM DETROIT POLICE HEADQUARTERS
THAT IS WHERE VIDEO HAS JUST
BEEN RELEASED OF OFFICERS
FATALLY SHOOTING A MAN DURING A
MENTAL HEALTH CALL VIDEO JUST
RELEASED IN THE PAST HOUR. GO
STEP BY STEP THROUGH WHAT
HAPPENED DURING THAT CALL EARLY
SUNDAY MORNING ON THE CITY’S
WEST SIDE. WE WANT TO GET RIGHT
OUT TOMORROW. MCDONALD TOMORROW
THE CONFRONTATION STARTED OUT
VERY CALMLY AND THEN IT
ESCALATED FROM THERE. KIMBERLY
THAT’S WHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS. SO
WE JUST GOT OUT OF A BRIEFING
WITH THE POLICE CHIEF AND THE
UPPER COMMAND WHO SAID THAT EVEN
THOUGH THIS WHOLE THING IS ONLY
60 HOURS OLD AT THIS POINT, THEY
WANT TO GET THE VIDEO OUT THERE.
THEY WANT THE COMMUNITY TO SEE
IT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE
TRANSPARENT. CHIEF SAYS THERE’S
BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF
MISINFORMATION THAT’S OUT HERE.
LET ME SHOW YOU. THIS IS A
TRAGIC SITUATION. ANYTIME WE USE
FORCE. IT’S NOT THE DESIRED
OUTCOME. ANYTIME WE USE FATAL
FORCE. IT’S THE WORST OUTCOME.
DETROIT POLICE CHIEF JAMES WHITE
SHOWING THE VIDEO OF THE NIGHT
OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED 22 YEAR
OLD PORTER BURKES, THE 22 YEAR
OLD WAS IN THE MIDST OF A MENTAL
HEALTH CRISIS AND ARMED WITH AN
EIGHT INCH KNIFE FAMILY CALLED
POLICE FOR HELP. THEY FOUND THE
22 YEAR OLD WANDERING ON THE
STREET. HERE IS THE BEGINNING OF
THE INTERACTION. DROP THE KNIFE
FOR ME, MAN. COME HERE REAL
QUICK. YOU’RE OKAY. YOU’RE NOT
IN ANY TROUBLE. YOU’RE NOT IN
ANY TROUBLE. CAN YOU JUST TALK
TO ME AND DROPPED THE KNIFE? THE
OFFICER DOING MOST OF THE
TALKING IS TRAINED IN HOW TO
DEAL WITH SOMEONE UNDERGOING A
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OFFERING TO
HELP OFFERING TO TALK JUST
ASKING BURKES TO PUT DOWN THE
WEAPON. IT ULTIMATELY DIDN’T
WORK. THIS IS THE POINT IN THE
VIDEO WHERE BURKE’S CHARGES AT
POLICE WERE HERE TO HELP YOU,
MAN. WHATEVER YOU WANT, WE CAN
HELP YOU WITH WE CAN GET YOU
HOME OVER THE STAGING AREA RIGHT
NOW. WE JUST NEED YOU TO DROP
THE KNIFE FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
FIVE OFFICERS ON UNSEEN OPENED
FIRE FIRING 38 SHOTS. 15 HIT HIM
. THEY TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL
IMMEDIATELY. MY COMMITMENT TO
THIS COMMUNITY. SINCE I HAVE
BEEN CHIEF, MY COMMITMENT TO THE
MINIMUM AND OF THIS DEPARTMENT
IS TO BE TO HOLD THEM
ACCOUNTABLE TO ALSO SUPPORT THEM
AND TO ALSO BE TRANSPARENT AND
THE ACTIONS THAT THEY
PARTICIPATE IN AND THE ACTIONS
THAT I PARTICIPATE IN, AND THIS
WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO JUST
THAT. BACK HERE LIVE SO THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS MR
BURKE’S FAMILY WHO DID SHOW UP
HERE AT DPD HEADQUARTERS. THEY
DISCUSSED HIS MENTAL HEALTH
PROBLEMS. THEY SAID HE HAD HAD
ISSUES WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. HE
HAD STABBED FAMILY MEMBERS IN
2020, AT LEAST THREE OF THEM HE
HAD HAD COMMITMENTS AT VARIOUS
HOSPITALS FOR HIS ISSUES, THE
CHIEF SAID. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE
MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM HAS FAILED
THIS MAN BUT HIS FAMILY WHO
TRIED TO GET INTO THE PRESS
BRIEFING TODAY BUT WAS DENIED
WAITED OUT HERE WATCHED IT
ONLINE. THEY HAVE A VERY
DIFFERENT TAKE ON HOW ALL THIS
WORKED. THEY FEEL LIKE THE
POLICE ARE RESPONSIBLE HERE, NOT
THEIR FAMILY MEMBER. TAKE A
LISTEN. I HATE TO SAY IF ANYONE
OUT HERE THAT HAVE A FAMILY
MEMBER A LOVED ONE OR EVEN
NEVER, THAT’S SUFFERING FROM
MENTAL ILLNESS HELPED THEM
YOURSELF. DON’T CALL NOW WHAT
THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE IT DON’T
CALL FOR HELP NOT CALL. PLEASE
DON’T GO ON YOUR LOVE WATCH
TRYING TO TRY TO HELP YOURSELF.
BACK HERE LIVE. IT WAS A FAMILY
MEMBER WHO HAD INITIALLY CALLED
FOR HELP STATING THAT MR BURKES
WAS HAVING AN EPISODE THAT HE
HAD A KNIFE THAT HE HAD SLASHED
A FAMILY MEMBERS, TIRES AND
LOOKING FOR HELP. THE FAMILY WE
UNDERSTAND HAS RETAINED GEOFFREY
FEIGER TO REPRESENT THEM. WE’RE
LIVE AT DETROIT POLICE
HEADQUARTERS AND MARA MACDONALD.
LOCAL 4 HAVE TO LOOK AT ANY ANY