Authorities are investigating the police shooting of a Black man who was killed after reportedly threatening to commit suicide near an elementary school in Indiana.
Video near the scene showed 51-year-old Dante Kittrell, who was reportedly dealing with mental illness, partially surrounded by police vehicles and officers on July 29 when the man made a gesture toward a SWAT team vehicle and was shot by police, the South Bend Tribune reported.
St. Joseph County police reportedly said in a statement that Kittrell threatened to shoot multiple times before pointing a gun at officers. The department is investigating the shooting.
Police reportedly said officers and negotiators spent nearly 40 minutes trying to deescalate the situation.
City Councilor Henry Davis Jr. reportedly said he knew Kittrell and that the man had been dealing with mental illness.
Rev. J.B. Williams, pastor of Abundant Faith Family Ministries, witnessed the shooting and called it a “military-style operation in response to a mental health crisis,” reported the South Bend Tribune.
Activists have reportedly called for a special prosecutor outside of St. Joseph County to investigate the incident.
More about the shooting and investigation can be found here.
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