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  • 19 hours ago
Relatives of 36-year-old Abraham Hackette are struggling to come to terms with his death after he was fatally shot by police on Monday evening in San Juan during what family members say began as a call for help.
Transcript
00:00Hackett's relatives say he suffered from mental health challenges and was an outpatient of the St. Anne's Psychiatric Hospital.
00:08According to his family, his mother contacted police after he begun experiencing what they described as a mental episode at
00:16their Farrow Terrace home.
00:18His sister, who spoke with TV6 off-camera, said the family hoped officers would assist in getting him medical treatment.
00:25On the day, he started a misbehavior and my mother called the police and was trying to get them to
00:35her sister to help to carry him to St. Anne's.
00:38Police say responding officers later encountered Hackett armed with knives and that he allegedly attacked and injured one officer during
00:46an initial confrontation before fleeing the area.
00:50Police said the officer sustained lacerations to his right upper arm and the back of his left hand.
00:57Stitches were required to his upper arm, while the injury to his left hand required specialist attention from surgeons.
01:05According to police reports, the responding officers called for backup, subsequently conducted a search and later located Hackett near the
01:15San Juan River.
01:16Police say he was armed with a 12-inch knife and advanced towards officers, despite repeated commands to drop the
01:24weapon.
01:25Officers opened fire, hitting the 36-year-old several times.
01:30Hackett was later pronounced dead at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
01:34His sister said the family only learned of the shooting after the incident occurred.
01:40They came and he wasn't here, and like some hours after, like I don't know which part they call him,
01:48we just said it was Panberry.
01:49They said that's how they shoot him and kill him.
01:52The family says they have received limited information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and are still seeking answers.
02:00They say they do not know how many times Hackett was shot, or the sequence of events leading up to
02:07his death.
02:07It was my mum called to get help, because I wasn't here at the time, it was evening time, but
02:13I don't know how much times he gets shot, because apparently like when he gets shot, they just pick him
02:19up and throw him and go with him.
02:21He had a teen monk tube, so we know nothing really much as yet, so.
02:27Hackett's relatives have also questioned whether other options could have been used before deadly force was employed.
02:34His sister said the family believes more could have been done to de-escalate the situation, given his mental health
02:42history.
02:43To me, he was not a big person. He wasn't like a fully robust person that they could at least
02:51shoot him in his foot, his shoulder. I don't know.
02:56The shooting has left relatives traumatized, particularly Hackett's mother, who they say made the initial call seeking assistance.
03:05Family members say she remains distressed as they await further information from investigators.
03:11My mother not too up and up, she in her state, because she don't know how much time she gets
03:17shot or why for the case, maybe everybody a little distorted.
03:21The family maintains that their intention was to secure medical intervention for Hackett, and not a confrontation with police.
03:30And the court gets sentenced to come to pick him up or himself to give him my injection to calm
03:37him down.
03:38Police investigations into the fatal shooting are continuing.
03:42Alexander Bruiswal, TV6 News.
03:45Alexander Bruiswal, TV6 News.
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