According to the Associated Press, on July 28, local time, a veteran U.S. soldier who fought in the War in Afghanistan was shot and killed by the police in front of his home, and his family said that he was in the midst of a mental health crisis caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and filed a civil lawsuit against Elmore County police for this.
Jonathan Pierce. Image source: Screenshot of US media
The deceased was Jonathan Pears, 32, whose mother called the 911 police call for fear of her son's illness, and police arrived there and eventually shot the veteran in the front yard of his parents' home.
Pierce's parents argued the lawsuit alleges that police shooting was excessive use of force, and although the son was holding a knife at the time, he was 90 feet away and did not threaten anyone. A statement issued this week by the family of the deceased argued that "this was a completely unnecessary, hasty and undeserved police operation that led to the negligent death of their son, Jonathan." ”
Pierce's father, retired Air Force Colonel Andrew Pierce, wrote in a statement, "My son is my hero, he is a senior Air Force officer and has worked as a civilian contractor. Jonathan spent nearly four years in Afghanistan, surviving suicide bombings, mortar attacks and exchanges of fire. The father believes that the police's approach in dealing with this situation should not be so deadly.
Jonathan Pierce during his service. Image source: US media
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said Thursday he could not comment on the case as the lawsuit is ongoing. In July, the sheriff said a police officer fired at Pierce because he refused to follow orders to lay down the 18-inch knife in his hand as he walked up to the police and his father.
Pierce returned from Afghanistan in 2019 with post-traumatic stress disorder and has been haunted by memories of tragic afghan experiences, the lawsuit alleges. Pierce, who ended his hospitalization in Virginia months before the shooting, had stopped taking his medication.
On the day of the shooting, his parents said Pierce was behaving inappropriately and called the 911 police because they were "worried about their own and Jonathan's safety." His mother put a gun in a locked bedroom so her son couldn't get it. When pierce heard someone come to the house, Pierce said, "I'm not going back, the lawsuit says!" I'm not going back! The mother believes her son "recalls the Taliban."
According to the description in the lawsuit, Andrew Pierce went out to meet the officers who came to the police, but was stopped by the police, and Pierce went outside within seconds after being asked to put down the knife, and was shot.
A police officer told Pierce's parents they had to shoot because he was rushing towards his father with a knife. But the lawsuit said the police's description was the complete opposite of the facts.