Officers Who Shot Man with Autism 12 Times After a 911 Mental Health Call Won't Be Facing Any Charges

On Tuesday, 7 July, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced that the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of an autistic man, Alexander Lamorie, will not face criminal charges. The decision followed the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal offence beyond a reasonable doubt under Maryland law.

Lamorie's mother, Dr Jill Harrington, said in a statement: 'I am disappointed with the report's findings, which do not acknowledge that three police officers did anything wrong when they shot my son 12 times and unnecessarily, inhumanely killed him during a mental health crisis.'

According to both the family's account and the Attorney General's investigation, the three officers, publicly identified as Cody Bostic, Joel Rodriguez and PFC Joseph Riebau, fired a total of 12 rounds, all of which struck Alexander Lamorie.

Call For Help Ends in Tragedy

Lamorie, 25, made the 911 call shortly before midnight on 28 February from his apartment at Patuxent Commons, an apartment complex on Freetown Road in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland.

According to the report, Lamorie was being blackmailed by someone who initially identified themselves as a 19-year-old woman before later claiming to be a 13-year-old child and demanding a $100 gift card through the messaging app Telegram.

The report also stated that officers heard Lamorie make suicidal statements during the call, prompting them to request an emergency psychiatric evaluation.

When officers arrived, Lamorie approached them in the parking lot while holding a knife, leading them to believe he posed an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.

One of the officers, PFC Riebau, repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the weapon while reassuring him that the blackmail was a common scam.

After making suicidal statements, the 25-year-old stretched out both arms and said, 'Go ahead.' Officers then fired a combined 12 shots. Lamorie was pronounced dead at 12:34am on 1 March.

Lamorie's Family Scrutinises Officer's 'Unpreparedness'

Lamorie's family argues that the report showed officers were 'completely unprepared' to deal with the 25-year-old's mental health crisis.

'I don't imagine anyone had a small can of pepper spray on them?' Dr Harrington said.

The victim's mother also stated: 'This is the definition of gross negligence and, in our opinion, warranted a charge of involuntary manslaughter,' referring to bodycam footage in which one officer was heard asking whether a colleague had a Taser.

'The officers' comments to one another show their recognition of their tragic failure, only when it was too late,' she added.

Dr Harrington also expressed frustration over what she described as the officers' lack of appropriate equipment and planning after the report revealed they were aware of Lamorie's mental health crisis before arriving at the scene. She said officers treated 'Alex's life-threatening behavioural-medical crisis like a crime.'

A Decision That Leaves More Questions

The investigation concluded with no criminal charges against the three officers involved in Lamorie's death. The case has continued to fuel debate over how police respond to people experiencing mental health crises.

Many are calling for re-shaping crisis intervention training and the availability of less-lethal options. Meanwhile, the Lamorie family still believes that Alexander's death could've been avoidable and continues to advocate for improvements in police responses to mental health crises.