By Tavon N. Thomasson
AFRO Intern

Between June 17 and June 25, three Baltimore residents died following encounters with law enforcement while reportedly experiencing behavioral health crises, prompting renewed scrutiny of the city’s crisis response systems and a formal call for oversight from the City Council.

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen announced in a statement on June 27 that he is calling for a hearing in the Council’s Public Safety Committee to examine how the city handles mental health emergencies. He cited the recent deaths as evidence that the current approach may be falling short.

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohe. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore City Office of the Mayor / J.J. McQueen)

“These tragedies are a heartbreaking reminder that far too many Baltimoreans suffer in silence…as the first city in the nation to implement trauma informed care legislation, Baltimore must continue to lead the way on how we address these issues,” said Cohen in the statement released by the Baltimore City Council. “The City Council has fought for years to increase funding for Baltimore Crisis Response Inc because we know that law enforcement alone can not be expected to solve this problem.” 

The first of the three deaths occurred on June 17, with the police-involved shooting of Bilal “B.J.” Abdullah, outside of the Avenue Market in the 1700 of Pennsylvania Ave. One officer was shot in the foot, and Abdullah succumbed to his injuries the same night. 

Just days later, on the night of June 24 around 9:40 p.m., an officer stopped a man at a red light near the intersection of West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road. Officers say the man walked into the middle of the road several times– even after being spoken to by them.  

The officer initially tried to restrain the man out of concern for his safety. When backup arrived, additional police secured him in handcuffs and leg restraints, then called for emergency medical help. Before paramedics arrived, he lost consciousness. When EMS still hadn’t arrived by 10:30 p.m., officers placed the man in a police vehicle and drove him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead on June 25 at 3 a.m. 

Community advocates are calling on the Baltimore Police Department for better responses to people experiencing mental health crises. (Police tape Credit: (X / Baltimore Police Department)

Less than 24 hours later, on June 25, officers responded to a home in West Baltimore’s 2700 block of Mosher Street, where 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks was reportedly having a behavioral health crisis.

According to the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigation Division, Baltimore Police responded to two 911 calls at 1:35 p.m., one for a welfare check and another reporting that Brooks had tried to stab the caller. 

When officers entered her home, they encountered Brooks with a knife in her hand and showing signs of distress. Despite the officer’s repeated commands for her to drop the knife, she continued to hold on to the knife.  

Following an initial taser deployment by one of the officers, the woman stood up and moved toward the officer, who then began to retreat but fell over a piece of furniture. As she continued toward the officer that fell down with the knife in her hand, a second officer fired his weapon with two shots hitting Brooks. An ambulance was called, while the officers rendered aid to Brooks. The woman was then transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Officer Stephen Colbert, with eight years of service, and Officer Stephen Galewski, a three-year veteran, were identified as the policemen involved. Both cases remain under active investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

Longtime West Baltimore community leader Dr. Marvin Cheatham says the response to Brooks lacked preparation and compassion. 

“They did not handle this appropriately and it’s a history that they had calls here, so they should have come here prepared, knowing they were going to have some challenges. No one deserves to die,” said Cheatham.

Cheatham questioned the delay in providing the community with a clear explanation of the incident and he echoed a similar sentiment that many neighbors had regarding the absence of mental health experts. 

A memorial in the 2700 block of West Mosher Street, the site of the fatal police shooting on June 25 (AFRO Photos / Kendra Bryant)

“It took them four hours to just come tell us. That means you were making up a story. I hate to put it that way– but why? Why would it take you that long to come tell us what happened?” he said. “They had a history of getting calls here– they said at least 20 calls. So that means you need mental health experts here and they probably could calm her down.”

When mental health challenges arise, residents do have options beyond 911 that can provide immediate support.