Houston police shot and killed a double amputee who was in a wheelchair because they said the man was trying to stab an officer with a pen. The man, Brian Claunch, who suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was living in a home for the mentally ill. The officers were responding to a report that Claunch was acting aggressively. When they arrived, Claunch advanced one of the officers with something in his hand. The officers told him to drop what was in his hand, but he did not. He ended up cornering the one officer, attempting to stab him with the object, which turned out to be a pen. The other officer, "for the safety of his partner and the safety of himself", shot Claunch in the head, killing him.
An expert said that emotionally disturbed individuals will often react excessively when threatened. Claunch enjoyed drawing, which might explain why he was holding the pen. It seems as though the officer reacted improperly to Claunch's act of violence. After all, Claunch was in a wheelchair with a pen, against an able-bodied officer. Officers should be trained to deal with mentally ill people, so something like this won't happen again.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/23/us/texas-amputee-shooting/index.html?npt=NP1
That poor man. It's not his fault he's mentally ill! That cop definitely overreacted.
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