The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office is receiving criticism for its handling of a 30-hour standoff with a man in Ypsilanti that ended on Jan. 5.

Community members asked that the eight charges filed against 53-year-old Ruben Peeler be dropped, saying a response that prioritized his mental health could have ended what became a 30-hour standoff much quicker and with much less resistance.

"We don't want harm to be done, period, and in this case, it feels like a lot of harm was done," said resident Dawn Keech.

Community members called for better options than the tear gas, flash bangs, and SWAT units that they say they witnessed being used during a multijurisdictional response. Keech and other residents are calling the incident a mental health crisis.

"To hear the message that there was no immediate threat to the community, and then to see the extreme measure to the tactical resources that were on site, it just didn't sync up," Keech said.

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners also asked that charges be dropped, saying in a statement, "People in mental health crisis should be met first and foremost with care, de-escalation, and compassion. Instead, this individual was met with tactics that escalated fear and exacerbated an already fragile situation."

Dyer said their initial response following the request from Ypsilanti police made de-escalation a priority, but those efforts were unsuccessful at getting Peeler to surrender.

"The crisis negotiation team did attempt to talk to the individual, tried to establish open communication and community mental health was there at that point too. The negotiation or de-escalation tactics were not working," said Dyer.

She says what's most important is that Peeler didn't lose his life in all of this, while also agreeing with some of her critics that it should have never gotten to this point in the first place.

"Once it reaches a point where someone is confronting people with a sword, trying to stab police officers, the option become very limited. The number one concern at that point is making sure this person survives. It shouldn't get to that point, so we have to collectively do better on the front end," Dyer said.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office confirmed working with the community mental health and the sheriff's office to release Peeler from jail for more appropriate care instead of incarceration. 

This also comes after the sheriff's office said on Tuesday that a man who was fatally shot by authorities on Jan. 6 did not have a firearm as initially believed. The deputies involved in that shooting were placed on administrative leave.

Dyer also said she'll be holding a public briefing to address this situation as well as the fatal shooting in the near future.