Intersection of mental health, police and race takes life of Black man
Of the more than 200 people killed by police gunfire since the landmark conviction of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, about 15% exhibited signs of mental illness, according to data collected by The Washington Post. They include Ryan Leroux, a 21-year-old Black man fatally shot last month while parked in a Mcdonald’s drive-thru lane in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Responding to a call indicating that Leroux had refused to pay for his meal or move his vehicle, officers suspected that he was experiencing a mental health emergency, a fact later confirmed by his parents. Police called for a crisis specialist, but after noticing a handgun on the front passenger seat and what they described as uncooperative behavior on Leroux’s part, officers opened fire before help arrived. Police footage includes audio of Leroux talking to the county police Emergency Communications Center, stating that he was cooperating with officers on the scene. The video also shows that Leroux had been reclined in the driver’s seat, and that he sat up before officers fired.
Despite uncertainties surrounding his death, Leroux’s all-too-familiar demise in a hailstorm of bullets illustrates yet again how race and the need for mental health support often intersect at deadly police encounters.
Given our nation’s woefully underfunded web of behavioral health care, police invariably are required to step in as first responders for calls involving mental health and substance use issues. Unfortunately, officers are generally unqualified or ill-prepared to handle these complicated and sometimes volatile situations, which account for about 1 in 5 calls.
At the intersection
Mirroring racial disparities in other aspects of policing, the evidence suggests that Black people exhibiting signs of mental distress are likely at greater risk of dying during encounters with law enforcement. As is often heard after police shootings involving Black citizens, some will ask why Leroux didn’t just comply. The question is fair, but it’s not that simple.
This country’s legacy of racial violence and discriminatory policing has instilled generational mistrust and fear that powerfully informs how Black people respond to those in uniform with badges.
We can personally attest to this kind of fear, which is continually stoked in many Black households by the recurring refrain that policing is a dangerous institution for Black America. While serving on the force, I was pulled over several times by my colleagues, and although I knew most officers were consummate professionals, I still experienced feelings of anxiety.
Skeptics suggest arguments about fear are excuses for noncompliance, but terror is real and often triggers a physiological response. Studies show that humans unconsciously react to perceived danger in three ways: fight, flight or freeze. The fear response can be compounded by co-occurring mental health issues and substance use, and it may intensify when power imbalances exist and escape seems impossible – much like the conditions that exist during custodial police encounters.
In the end, the responsibility falls on civic governments to protect and meet the needs of those most vulnerable to unnecessary arrest and coercive police force. A broader community-centered approach must ensure that culturally responsive crisis interventions are especially sensitive to the unique stresses and fears plaguing Black communities.
Such steps would represent a profound investment in improving police-citizen relations.
More important, they would save lives.
Thaddeus Johnson, a former police officer, is a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and teaches criminology at Georgia State University. His wife Natasha Johnson is a faculty member at Georgia State and director of the university’s master’s program in criminal justice administration.