2 Hartford men killed by police during mental health crises, prompting calls for change

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Two Hartford families mourned loved ones that were shot and killed by police as they experienced mental health crises.

Both the victims’ families and the Hartford Police Union called for a different approach to mental health calls.

Everard Walker’s family said he had been struggling with his mental health since October, when his daughter died of cancer.

On Feb. 19, his family called 2-1-1 for help. Officers and two mental health professionals said they spent nearly an hour in a hallway attempting to talk Walker down.

When officers pushed inside the apartment on Capital Avenue, they said Walker had a knife, and the situation escalated. He was shot and killed.

Body camera video showed Walker pointing a knife at an officer at the moment shots were fired.

Eight days later, police responded to a call on Blue Hills Avenue where Steven Jones was armed with a knife. Jones was shot several times after he refused to put down his knife.

Walker’s family held a vigil following his death. His daughter spoke about her father’s decline after losing her sister.

“A man who always stepped in to solve our problems, could not do anything to stop his daughter’s pain. And that broke him,” she said.

In a statement about Jones’ shooting, the Hartford Police Union said officers should not “be society’s default mental health professionals.”

Last week, the state legislature passed a provision ordering the Police Officer Standards and Training council to develop new training regarding mental health calls. They directed more than $2 million toward the effort.

Both officers who fired shots have been placed on administrative leave.