Family Sues Police After Depressed Deaf Man Is Gunned Down In Motel: 'We Called For Help, They Murdered Him'

A deaf, suicidal man was shot dead in his motel bathroom by a Monroe County sheriff's deputy less than 30 seconds after officers forced their way into his room, his family allege in a legal claim against the Sheriff's Office.

Gregory Kase, 52, died on 9 August at the Super 8 Motel in Henrietta, near Rochester, after his wife, Bonnie, rang 911 several times saying her husband — who she says was mentally ill, suicidal and deaf — needed assistance. Deputies, who had been told by hotel staff that Kase had a knife, forced open the door of his room while he was in the bathtub.

Body-worn camera footage shows Kase responding to the sudden intrusion, first calling out 'I'm in here,' then 'What?' and finally 'I can't hear you.' He then opened the bathroom door. He was naked, standing on wet tiles, holding a box cutter. Deputies ordered him to drop it. Within roughly 30 seconds of first contact, they shot him dead.

The notice of claim, filed this week by lawyer Elliot Shields, alleges Kase made no threatening movement towards officers before he was shot and argues his evident vulnerability — unarmed but for a small cutting tool, naked and clearly disoriented — should have prompted de-escalation rather than gunfire. The Sheriff's Office has not publicly explained why lethal force was used so quickly or whether less-lethal alternatives were considered.

Dispute Over What Was Said in 911 Calls

The case hinges largely on what Bonnie told dispatchers. Her notice of claim states she 'expressly' told the 911 operator that her husband was 'profoundly deaf' and in mental health crisis. City officials, who oversee staffing at the county-run 911 centre, dispute this. In a statement to local media after reviewing the three calls, the city said: 'We have listened to those calls. At no point during the three 911 calls does Mrs Kase tell the 911 operator that her husband is deaf.'

Because New York law bars public release of 911 recordings, the dispute cannot be independently verified. Shields has stood by his client's account while acknowledging memory can falter under such circumstances. 'That's what she remembered saying. People can be mistaken,' he told local media. He argues the precise wording is beside the point: 'She called for help. Whether or not it was conveyed [that he was deaf], they didn't provide that help.'

The city has expressed condolences to Kase's family but has confined its public response to the narrow question of what was recorded on the calls, declining to address broader questions of training or tactics.

Family Says Crisis Call Ended in Fatal Shooting

The family's claim amounts to an accusation that a call for psychiatric and medical assistance ended in death. It raises a question that has recurred across American policing: what officers are trained to do when someone is simultaneously in mental crisis and unable to hear shouted commands.

Whether or not Bonnie used the word 'deaf' remains unresolved and, under state secrecy rules, likely to stay that way. What is not disputed is the speed of the encounter: a battered door, a man in a bathtub, and roughly 30 seconds between contact and gunfire.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has not commented further on the shooting or the forthcoming lawsuit. The notice of claim is a formal precursor to civil litigation, and the case is expected to proceed through the courts in the coming months.