The Chronicle
February 7, 2022
On January 14, a Duke University (DUPD) Police Officer killed a patient at Duke University Hospital. The civilian had gained control of a Durham police officer’s firearm and fired multiple shots in the emergency room. A DUPD officer, after seeing the patient’s gun raised toward the Durham Officer, responded by shooting the patient, who later died from bullet injuries.
DUPD’s Use Of Force policy authorizes lethal force in situations where it is deemed “objectively reasonable under the totality of the circumstances.” However, the totality of the circumstances—the struggle between the police officer and the patient— was, in my opinion, entirely preventable. What if an experienced mental health professional had been consulted, rather than an armed cop posing a threat of physical force? How did a patient manage to attack an on-duty officer during a medical evaluation? Why was there a gun in the emergency room in the first place?