Body Cam Video Released Of Grand Prairie Police Fatally Shooting Carlos High
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Two and a half years after a standoff that resulted in Grand Prairie police shooting and killing a man believed to be mentally ill after he pointed a gun at officers, the police body cam video has been released.
Back in April 2018, someone witnessed 37-year-old Carlos High slumped down in car outside an Ikea and Grand Prairie and called police, requesting a welfare check. When police arrived, they saw High had a rifle on him and told him to put his hands up. As High got his gun, an officer shot and killed him.
Angela Luckey, president of the NAACP's Grand Prairie chapter, says for two and a half years High's family has been asking police to release the body cam footage detailing what happened next with no success. Now, a judge has ordered its release.
"The shooting of Carlos High, Sr., it does concern me," Luckey said. "The second officer that had communication with Mr. Carlos High, he amped it up. He came in like a cowboy. With Carlos' mental state on the scene, he was saying his car was tapped, saying people were watching him, saying that it was already on television and things like that... you could tell Mr. High was not operating in his right mind."
After watching the video, the Grand Prairie NAACP is now calling for more mental health training for its city's officers and believe the de-escalation techniques shown in that video were not up to par.
In response, a spokesperson for the Grand Prairie Police Department said the department stands behind its officers' decisions that day. The spokeswoman says all officers receive twice the amount of Crisis Intervention Training required by the state. She also said in response to incidents like this one, a series of metal health initiatives were launched.
Two months after the incident, the department launched a Crisis Support Unit. It's comprised of licensed mental health professionals that partner with certified mental health peace officers who can respond to people dealing with a mental health crisis.
This year, the Community Outreach Partnership and Education - or COPE- program was launched. Those struggling with mental health can enter in their information and schedule meetings with the Crisis Support Unit.
This information-sharing program allows first responders to have immediate access to helpful information that would assist them in a crisis.
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