Kenneth Brian Releford: Another Mentally Ill, Unarmed Man Fatally Killed by Houston Police Officers

Kenneth Brian Releford

Brian Claunch

Rufino Lara

Houston, Texas

Has the City of Houston found a new way to rid the city of mentally ill people?

Houston Police fatally shot another unarmed man, Kenneth Brian Releford, early Thursday morning near downtown, following a confrontation when he approached officers with a hand tucked behind his back, according to police.

HPD spokesperson John Cannon said police went to the neighborhood following a confrontation among residents, in which Releford had allegedly sexually assaulted a boy down the road. He said Releford knocked down the front door of the boy's house, pushed aside an 87-year-old man in a wheelchair, and took the boy to a backroom where he sexually assaulted him.

When officer J. Rosemon arrived, he went to Releford's house, and knocked at his door. Releford answered and, police said, began yelling. His hand was behind his back. He began approaching police, Cannon said. Releford wouldn't back away or follow orders, Cannon said. Roseman, apparently fearing for his life, shot and killed Releford. Of course, as it turns out, Releford was unarmed.

A neighbor spoke with the media after the incident and disputed the officer’s claims that Releford wasn’t listening to his commands. She also said the suspect had both his hands in the air.

"He called the boy to him, and when he called the boy to him the boy kept walking to him and he shot him – right there in the middle of the street on Sampson at Francis," one witness told the media. "Then the boy got up and staggered back toward Francis that way and the man said ‘Don’t run, come back here!’ and the boy started to come back and they shot him again."

If you have been counting, as we have, you know this is the second time in three weeks that police gunned down a person who had a suspected mental illness.

Sure, police have a right to protect themselves. Although lately, especially within the Houston Police Department, there seems to be an over use of the phrases, “The officer fearing for his life,” “The suspect reached for his waistband,” or “The suspect had a shiny item” (ball-point pen, perhaps?).

The question remains: How can police protect themselves against a possible armed suspect, while minimizing the risk of killing an unarmed, mentally-unstable person?

Well, don’t turn to HPD’s Jodi Silva for any real answers. In the latest case involving the fatal shooting of a mentally ill person, this was the best she could do.

"Every police officer must take a training class on mental issues," said Jodi Silva, a police spokesperson. "But outside of that? It's up to the individual officer to seek additional preventive training if they want it." Silva said she didn't how many hours police spend in the class, or what it covers.

Last month, it was a double-amputee in a wheelchair, Brian Claunch, who was gunned down at the hands of a Houston police officer. In that case, police say they feared for their life when the man was waving a shiny object. Turns out, the shiny object was a ball-point pen. It became clear in the days afterward that Claunch had been mentally ill.

Last summer, Rufino Lara was fatally shot by police. Lara, an undocumented worker from El Salvador, was killed after he didn't show his hands like police had asked him to. According to police, Lara had his hand in his waistband. Fearing for their lives, the officers shot him.