Barbara Brunette, the wife of a man fatally shot by police in November, implored the Burlington City Council Monday night to invest resources into taking better care of the mentally ill.
A police officer shot Wayne Brunette on Nov. 6 after receiving a call from his parents who said their son was acting irrationally. Police say that Brunette, a 49-year-old who struggled with schizophrenia, threatened two officers with a shovel before he was shot.
The Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office have both cleared the two officers involved of any criminal wrongdoing.
The city council meeting was part eulogy and part plea for more resources.
“My husband was a very caring, poetic, loving, romantic man. He was a fantastic father,” Brunette, pictured above, told the council. “Policies have to be changed.”
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The State of Vermont ( under several administrations) made the decision to close facilities and move all the patients to community living. More social workers can help, but we have to be careful that we are not placing them in danger of being beaten or stabbed.
Unfortunately once a police officer arrives on the scene the situation is already out of control and to the mentally ill person that officer becomes either a target of rage or a method of suicide.
There’s no easy answer.
Why didn’t they taze this guy first? Can you answer that Chief Schiring?
Since when does a shovel and gun equal each other. Seems if you have a gun you have the upper hand. The shoveler has to get near you and of course you can retreat maybe even far enough to where the person calms down and can be treated. To fatally shoot someone with a shovel is outrageous
They weren’t carrying tazers at the time.
They don’t equal each other… why would a cop want to be on equal footing with a raving mad man? The shoveler in this case did approach the officers and ignored orders to stop his approach.
The officers could have run to the car and locked themselves in I suppose but that would just be a different kind of fodder for monday morning quarterbacks no? So they shot… PO’s in this state are trained to shoot to kill, if they pull the trigger the shot should be fatal, not for a leg for example.
To clarify, I think this was a bit absurd myself, but I do understand that per the policies in place and the events leading up to the shooting the officers acted in accordance.
give a man a gun and you will find he wants to use it. Give him the authority and you will find yourself in a world out of control with no way out
I am very sorry for your loss! My son was killed by a state trooper June 20, 2012 with a taser to his chest….they are not safe either. What is needed is mental health training and not just 8 hours, a reduction in excessive force and measurable accountability,