Video shows mentally ill man's shooting by Miami Gardens police
MIAMI, Fla. - A dash cam video was released Wednesday showing the moments leading up to the fatal police shooting of a mentally ill man in Miami Gardens, Florida.
CBS Miami reports Lavall Hall, a 25-year-old father, was shot around 5 a.m. on February 15 after his mother, Catherine Daniels, called police to report her son - who she says was diagnosed as being schizophrenic - was having a psychotic episode. She reportedly told authorities she hoped they would take him to a mental health facility.
Police said when their officers approached Hall, he was wielding a broom handle and became aggressive, reports the station.
According to the station, police say they deployed a Taser but when that didn't work, they were forced to fire.
Dash cam video of the incident was released Wednesday by attorneys for the Hall family.
Glen Goldberg, one of the family's attorneys, said at an afternoon news conference that the Hall family was "outraged" after viewing the 19-minute video, which he says shows officers using excessive force when dealing with someone who they knew had mental health issues.
Goldberg said the 25-year-old Hall was running away from officers prior to being shot. He also said officers mocked Lavall's mother after she asked them not to hurt her child.
"The officers had made up their minds that they were going to kill Lavall before this incident took place," Goldberg said.
In the video, an officer is seen driving by Hall's mother, who is out on the street. CBS Miami reports Lavall Hall appears to be avoiding officers when they try to get close to him. According to the station, he is captured briefly on camera before he darts out of the frame.
The station reports that a short time later, a police officer is heard yelling, "Get on the ground or else you're dead." Then, shots are fired.
Hall's family is suing the Miami Gardens Police Department and two officers involved in the shooting, according to the station.
In a letter, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told the Hall family attorney that while she cannot prevent him from releasing the video, its release "may compromise our common goal to seek the truth" and may "undermine the integrity of the investigation."
Goldberg said Wednesday that he doesn't believe the release of the video will impede the investigation.