Screenshot from just moments before police kill Gilmore.
In yet another horrifying example of why police should not be the primary responders to calls for mental health wellness checks, the family of a "naked, bleeding, man in the throes of a mental health crisis" whose family and their lawyers say "posed no threat to Sacramento Sheriff’s Office deputies when he was shot dead in his driveway last March", have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the against the county and several unnamed deputies.
According to a press release from their lawyer home "security video shows the fatal shooting of Christopher Gilmore the morning of March 23, 2024. Gilmore, 38, who had been cutting himself, emerged from his garage holding the small blade he’d used. Gilmore held it by his waist and never pointed or waved it at deputies, and he never approached them, even after he was shot six times by a deputy with “less lethal” projectiles at close range."
Video link that can be viewed on You Tube (content warning for graphic violence):
The press release continues:
The video shows that Gilmore turned his back to the projectiles and stumbled down the driveway, staying alongside a parked pickup truck, in an effort to avoid being hit, according to the lawsuit. His sister, Bobbie Gilmore, was calling to him from across the street and believes he was trying to get to her for help.
Instead, a deputy fired three live rounds at Gilmore, who collapsed and rolled into the street. Deputies did not approach the mortally wounded man to render aid, even though the small blade had landed several feet away in the street. An ambulance arrived about two minutes later and Gilmore was pronounced dead.
“The tragic and unnecessary killing of Christopher Gilmore is a stark reminder of the need for comprehensive police reform and better mental health crisis intervention,” said Los Angeles civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone, who is representing some of Gilmore’s family, including two of his four children and his sister Bobbie Gilmore. “Christopher posed no threat to the deputies, and yet, he was met with lethal force instead of the help he desperately needed.”
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