Did Hiram Marrero have to die? Mentally Ill Latino Man Blown Away by New Haven Police

When police shot and killed a mentally ill man armed with a knife last week, they did so with the belief that he was a serious threat. "He wasn't going to a turkey carving contest with three knives on him," police union president Sgt. Louis Cavalier said in the wake of the shooting. "We will defend ourselves and others from deadly force and if it means killing someone, that's what we have to do." But the members of Fellowship Place, a residential facility for the mentally disabled, contend that resident Hiram Marrero was deep in the throes of a psychotic episode and did not pose a threat to officers. "Why did they shoot to kill?" says staff member Bob Hurd. "When they get this kind of call, they should automatically know they are dealing with something other than what they encounter on the street." Marrero's death is the third incident in two months in which police have fired their weapons under what community activists are calling questionable circumstances. Police Chief Francisco Ortiz calls 2004's eight police shooting incidents "unprecedented" and has promised to review each case with an eye towards protocol reform. Zachary Schatz, a friend of Marrero's, is circulating a petition demanding that the department prohibit the use of deadly force against the mentally ill. [more]