The father of the man killed by police on Friday says his son needed help for a mental illness, but instead he was killed by an officer who should have reacted differently.
The man spoke with reporters at his Princes Town home on Saturday.
Reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh tells us more.
00:00I don't know. I don't know how to cope with this.
00:08In a state of absolute anguish, single father of three, Cleophas Noel, recalled the events which led to his 20-year-old son, Elijah Noel, being shot dead by a police officer on Friday.
00:22He says Elijah, who was clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia, a serious mental health condition which affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves, was washing his sneakers around midday on Friday when he started experiencing an episode of the disorder.
00:39He began holding his head and screaming, and despite being bare feet and clad only in a short pants, started to run.
00:47One of the officers said to me, the car was heading in that direction, the police officer was like squatting and ready to go in that direction.
00:56And just on the junction where he come out and he met it like he crashed into the car or anything break off from there.
01:03And all she said to me is, look what he do to the car, look what he do to the car.
01:07I said, so that's why you kill my son? For a mirror? You kill my son for a mirror?
01:15Noel says a memory that he believes will never leave his mind is what happened next.
01:23I said, well we need to get him to the hospital. They said, no, no, wait, we already called the ambulance.
01:28But I pulled the chip, come like a pickup, like that.
01:31They reverse in, they drop the tray.
01:35One grab me two hands, one grab me two foot, swing him like that and belt him up in the back of the vehicle, close the back brown.
01:41He says he intends to seek out justice for his son.
01:45Elijah, he adds, always took his medication and even during an episode was never violent.
01:52Noel called on the authorities to ensure police officers are trained to recognize threats,
01:58saying his son was unarmed, bare feet and did not deserve to die this way.
02:16You could have arrested him. He had things that you could have done.
02:21He had a kill shot.
02:24I called him back because while I was walking I heard a rapid shot.
02:32He needed help and instead I helped him in the killing.
Be the first to comment