Some community members are calling for change after the officer-involved shooting death of Dante Kittrell in South Bend.
The man, said to be suffering from a mental health crisis, was shot by police after he pointed a gun at officers, Friday, on Sheridan Street.
Josh Morgan with the South Bend Fraternal Order of Police says the police response was appropriate, given the circumstances.
Relatives and some clergy members want a Special Prosecutor for the case. They also want all body cam footage, 911 recordings, and a minimum of 10% of the police budget dedicated to clinical non-law enforcement mobile crisis response teams to deal with situations that involve mental health and substance use.
“In dealing with a mentally ill man, the police used all the wrong tools. Their approach escalated the situation. It was a military-style operation in response to a mental health crisis. The police did what they were trained to do. He was shot multiple times,” said Pastor JB Williams, Abundant Faith Family Ministries and Faith in Indiana executive team, who witnessed the killing and made an effort to convince a South Bend officer that the man was struggling with mental health.
South Bend Mayor James Mueller released the following statement:
We are all in shock following Friday’s tragic loss of Dante Kittrell. My heart goes out to the Kittrell family and the community as we mourn the loss of a loved one, as well as first responders to this tragic incident and their families.
I ask for the community to be patient and wait for more information, as Sheriff Redman and his team continue the investigation. We are committed to a full, transparent investigation and any needed improvements going forward.
This tragedy shows that we must do more to support our neighbors in need of mental health resources, especially those from communities of color, and find the will to prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands.
The City will host a Community Action Group to discuss crisis procedures on August 23rd. Further details on location and time will be released in the coming days.
11 comments
Pastor JB Williams, Abundant Faith Family Ministries and Faith in Indiana executive team, who witnessed the killing and made an effort to convince a South Bend officer that the man was struggling with mental health. He was still pointing a gun at police officers. Did the pastor expect the police to wait until someone was shot/ killed before the police took action?
So how many “clinical non-law enforcement mobile crisis response team members” would have to be shot at before the police were to be called in?
It’s alleged he was mentally ill. Was this diagnosed? Was he in anyones care? Who did the gun belong to? Why didn’t he drop the weapon when ordered to do so? Also, a simple point that gets forgotten, when you point a gun at the police you get shot. Someone felt there was danger. The police were called to confront the threat. The threat was removed and now people are outraged. Now the failing sewer that is the city of south bend will pay the family.
The mayor is saying we should be more careful if a crazy guy of color is pointing a loaded gun at law enforcement. This wouldn’t be a story if the crazy guy was from European descent. The liberals love to put groups of people in categories of victims.
To Thomas and James, the man was troubled, not a threat to society; he MAY have pointed (a handgun, not an AR…and that difference is KEY) only AFTER an ARMORED SWAT vehicle barreled down a hill directly at him…. HOW in the H was that supposed to deescalate anything but common sense?
AND, this occurred after this obviously troubled man had endured a 40+ minute standoff with the seemingly entire SBPD pointing their ARs at him and while SBPD refused to let even his mother try and talk to him (and we do not really know if he actually pointed his pistol at anyone, as we have NO camera footage yet released).
As for people being shot, in this situation, everyone but the police knew that this man was a THREAT to ONLY HIMSELF. Many family, friends, and clergy, that looked like him pleaded with SBPD to let them approach, to bravely put their bodies in between the gun and the public. YET, they were denied that lifesaving request because of SBPD protocol! In my view, SBPD protocol is what killed a man who needed help, not AR rounds to his body.
As for mental health professionals, I don’t think anyone is advocating for them to be the only responders, but simply part of a fully integrated team that can meet the challenges of today, not the 1950s.
Are you any less dead after getting shot by a pistol instead of a rifle? (Bonus points for you if you can articulate what AR stands for – I bet you can’t!) Don’t excuse this because it was “only” a handgun.
The guy was acting sketchy enough to have people call the police on him. On what basis can you claim that he wasn’t a threat to anyone but himself? You claim to know, but do you really KNOW? Would you be willing to risk a bystander’s life on what you “know”?
At least people in the 1950s understood that dead is dead, and that someone who is mentally unstable could be harmless right up until the point that they kill someone. I’d feel safer with that kind of rational thinking on the force than a bunch of social workers getting themselves (and other bystanders) shot because they can’t cope with reality.
If this guy was genuinely not a threat, we would be having a VERY different conversation.
He pointed a gun at police. He was told to drop it, he didn’t. If you feel this strongly, I suggest you try the same thing. By the way, when told to drop a gun by the police, they mean it.
There needs to be change alright, but not on the part of the police. Pastor Williams and the rest of the race baiting anti-cop activists need to change, they are consistently wrong about how to deal with situations like this.
This wasn’t a man experiencing a mental health crisis, it was a man brandishing a weapon and pointing it at police.
Their “10% of the police budget” line is dumb also. That budget includes gear, buildings, cars, equipment, and training costs. It’s not just payroll. They’d be adding a LOT more than 1:10 social workers.
Jon Zimney, please do a follow up story on Mr. Dante Kittrell’s toxicology report. My guess he was higher than a kite on some drug . The last guy the S.B.P.D. shot and killed had a few different narcotics in his system. He also had a deadly weapon and was threatening a law enforcement officer.
The mayor is missing the obvious, you live by the sword you die by the sword.
Charles,
To your points:
#1: I am a retired, but NEVER not a fricking Jarhead….a fricking US Marine, MCRD San Diego (Hollywood in terms you don’t likely know)
#2: I likely have used and am proficient on more weapons that you can name, which include the M-16…all versions…of which the A2 was the primary..
#3: The AR is not named for what the idiots who think is Assault Rifle. No, it was for the idiots who developed the predecessor to the M-16….which when I used it…. god help me….
#4: The difference, assuming you know is, unless its a high velocity (AKA expensive) handgun (and you know how to shoot like say the hero at Greenwood) the range and accuracy… is not a threat to those who are pointing ARs at the man….
#5: Dead is always dead….but the reason why today, when we know so much more than we did in the 1950’s about mental illness and the THEN perceived threat from when we called them “PHYCOS” (and many were just that THEN without treatment) is because we have so many more tools to attenuate both crises’ situations and protection of the public, IF USED. Please stop recanting decades old rationale for this death. It should not have happened as it did.
Steve, that was an excellent reply. From your initial post, it didn’t look like you had any proficiency or were a hoplophobe. I’m glad that is not the case.
Modern defensive pistol cartridges can be quite lethal at shorter (handgun) ranges. As you referenced, the Greenwood shooter was lethal at 40 yards with an 8/10 hit rate. I don’t know how big that area is, but I’m willing to bet that there were bystanders in range for an accidental hit and that the SWAT team wasn’t at a safe range (though armor would help there with a hollowpoint).
The fact is that the police were dealing with an unstable individual with a weapon that they had to assume could be lethal to bystanders, even accidentally or with a stray round. As much as people wanted to save his life, the lives of the nearby innocents needed to be protected also.