Texas family calls for arrest of cop who fatally shot an unarmed Black man during a mental health emergency
The family of a man shot and killed by a Texas police officer during a mental health check is calling for the officer's arrest. Patrick Warren Sr.'s son said his family had called for help on Sunday because Warren was having a mental health emergency.
Ring doorbell footage shows Killeen Police Officer Reynaldo Contreras knocking on Warren's door, a surprise to his family who had requested help from a mental health professional. The family said they had called for help the day before, and a mental health professional arrived with no issue.
"They never told us that one wasn't available. They just sent out a Killeen police officer," Warren's son, Patrick Warren Jr., told CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca.
Warren Jr. said Contreras's demeanor toward his family was hostile, so they asked him to leave. But moments later, he returned and knocked.
Warren Sr. answered and stepped outside with his hands in the air. His son said he noticed a red dot shining on the door.
"The only reason we got up and walked to the door was because we saw an infrared beam from a taser on the door which concerned us. We heard a pop," he said. "We got up. We ran to the door. By the time we made it outside, my father was on the ground, and that's where everything kind of took place."
The video, which was released by the family's attorney and appears to be edited, then cuts to cell phone footage.
The family stood and watched as Contreras, a five-year veteran at the department, shot the husband and father of three in the chest. Warren was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The family is calling for the body camera footage to be released.
Lee Merritt, who represents Warren's family, said the police officer should not have been sent to their home.
"If they couldn't send someone with the training to deal with the crisis that was actually occurring, then it would have been better for them to send no one at all," he said.
Warren Jr. said his family is still processing their father's death, including his younger brother, who has Down Syndrome.
"He's constantly — he was like, you know, 'My father's in heaven?' And I have to answer that question 1,000 times a day, and sometimes he just breaks down and he just wants to cry," Warren Jr. said.
The Killeen Police Department and the Texas Rangers are now investigating Warren's death. In a statement, Killeen's police chief wrote "it is my duty to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted so that all parties, including the public, have the answers they seek."