By Christian Olaniran, Adam Thompson
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Police released a video showing the moments that led to officers shooting and killing a 70-year-old woman during a mental health crisis on June 25.
The incident occurred in West Baltimore in the 2700 block of Mosher Street. Officers responded to a home where Pytorcarcha Clark-Brooks was having a behavioral health crisis.
70-year-old woman killed in police shooting
According to Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley, Clark-Brooks pulled a knife, disregarded police commands, and attacked officers with the weapon.
Worley said officers tried to use a Taser on Clark-Brooks, but it was ineffective, and she kept advancing toward them with the knife. According to police, one officer fell and Clark-Brooks charged at him with the knife, prompting another officer to fire two shots at her.
Clark-Brooks was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“As you can see, this is a tragic and unfortunate incident. Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Ms. Brooks and her community,” Worley said.
The officer who fired the shots is on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation.
“Our community in West Baltimore is mourning a neighbor and a family is mourning a loved one,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
Body cam video of Baltimore police shooting
Police said a social worker called 911 after not receiving an answer at Clark-Brooks’ home during a wellness check. A family member then called 911, saying that Clark-Brooks was violent, had a weapon, was armed with a knife, and attempted to stab them.
That’s when fire and police responded and attempted to get her to go to the hospital voluntarily, according to Worley.
A police body-worn camera shows Clark-Brooks locking the back door after her son inside the home attempted to unlock it for the police.
The video continues to show an officer attempting to taser Clark-Brooks before an officer falls over. The video shows the woman attempting to stab the officer before his partner fired a couple of shots that killed her.
“The use of deadly force is never taken lightly and is only employed when no other alternative is available,” Worley said.
Response to mental health episodes
Worley said there had been more than 20 calls at Clark-Brooks’ home for mental health issues this year.
The police commissioner said officers have come a long way in addressing mental health episodes, but there is still a long way to go.
“This video, clearly, and other videos, not just here but throughout the country, have shown that we have a long way to go with behavioral crises,” Worley said.
Worley added that officers receive training to deal with those situations, but they rely on mental health experts to help in the process.
“We give them the training to deal with this, but behavioral health is a medical issue that we have to address,” Worley said. “People who aren’t police officers have to help us address this by getting treatment for these individuals.”
“We have taken significant steps to strengthen our behavioral response system and 911 diversion program in the city of Baltimore, with the goal of sending the most appropriate response to a situation, not just the fastest or most familiar,” Mayor Scott added.
Family, community mourn after shooting
After the shooting, residents grieved Clark-Brooks’ loss.
Janet Bailey, president of the Laburt Improvement Community Association and Clark-Brooks’ neighbor, told WJZ she cried when she learned of the shooting. She said she believed the incident was preventable.
“Even if you shot her, could she be shot in the leg or the foot, in the arm, in the shoulder?” Bailey said. “Where she had the knife and was coming down on ya’ll, couldn’t she have been shot in the shoulder? Did she have to be shot two times and killed…70 years old…I’m saying 70 years old.”
The shooting prompted Bailey to go door-to-door distributing flyers, directing residents to local behavioral health services.
LaRae Taylor, Clark-Brooks’ cousin, said she saw a headline about the shooting but didn’t connect the story to Pytorcarcha until her relatives arrived at the scene and entered the home where the shooting happened.
Taylor said her cousin “was a sister, a mother, a cousin. She wasn’t just a ‘mental person.’ She was a human who loved.”
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