Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy David McEntire Kills Unarmed, Mentally-Ill 24-Year-Old as Family Watches in Horror

Ever since Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully announced that she would no longer investigate fatal shootings by police officers, or any in-custody deaths, it is perhaps unsurprising that Sac County law enforcement is now breaking all records, by a several-hundred percent increase, in killing civilians. Even unarmed ones. Even mentally-ill ones.

The Sacramento Bee reports:

    On Jan. 17, Ted Rose called the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for help with his mentally ill son. By the end of the night, his son was dead at the hands of a deputy.Nearly three months after the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Johnathan Rose, his family is speaking out about what they witnessed that night and raising questions about the actions of the deputy who ultimately shot Johnathan.

    “Our whole life has been turned upside down,” said Johnathan’s mother, Dee Rose. “It’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from.”

Some details of the encounter are not disputed by Rose’s family or the Sheriff’s Department, such as the fact that Johnathan and the deputy were in a violent struggle just before the shooting….

    The day of the shooting, Johnathan arrived home upset and agitated after several grueling hours of mental health assessment, Ted Rose said.

    There was little food in the house, and the family’s financial stress was palpable, said Ted Rose, a 50-year-old pastor, who no longer works full-time because of medical issues.

    After Johnathan threw a bag of fast food against the wall, his father decided to call 911, worried the behavior would escalate. That was the only physical act of violence by his son, Ted Rose insisted to The Bee.

    He told dispatchers his son was “5150″ and he was not sure if his son had taken his medications.

    According to sheriff’s homicide detectives who investigated the shooting, deputies were informed via in-car computers that Johnathan was “being violent,” had “shoved” the caller – Ted Rose – and was “throwing stuff.”

    About 45 minutes later, Deputy David McEntire arrived. By then, Ted Rose said, his son had taken medication and gone to bed.

    Ted Rose alleges that at the door, the deputy “barged” past him and yelled at his son to wake up and get out of bed. Johnathan did so, turning toward the wall with his hands behind his back to be arrested, Ted Rose said.

    When the deputy ordered Johnathan to the ground, Ted Rose said his son, a severe germophobe, tried but again stood and faced the wall with his hands behind his back.

    According to Ted Rose, the deputy tackled Johnathan, pushing him into the wall. When Johnathan tried to stand, the deputy hit him in the head with his flashlight, knocking him to the bed.

    That’s when Johnathan began to fight back, his father said. Ted Rose said he tried to intervene, but the deputy shot Johnathan….

    The Rose family say they are preparing to file a complaint against the county and, if necessary, a wrongful death suit.

    Collins, their attorney, cites the incident as an example of why District Attorney Jan Scully’s office should continue to investigate officer-involved shootings.

Read the entire article: Minugh, Kim. “Family speaks out on deputy’s fatal shooting of their mentally ill son.” The Sacramento Bee. Apr. 8, 2012 http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/08/4398439/family-speaks-out-on-deputys-fatal.html