Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Get the news
Log In or Subscribe to skip
1 [h=6]Share This Story![/h]Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about
[h=4]Police kill trans man in midst of Asperger's meltdown[/h]He charged at them with a knife when they responded to a call to his home, they said.
{# #}
[h=4]Sent![/h]A link has been sent to your friend's email address.
[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
[h=6]Join the Nation's Conversation[/h]To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs
[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]
Mesa PD on shooting a person with Asperger's Syndrome
Police personnel respond Feb. 4, 2016, to a Mesa, Ariz., home where an officer shot a suicidal woman with Asperger's syndrome.(Photo: Joey Carrera, The Arizona Republic)
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story identified the victim as a woman.
MESA, Ariz.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Officers here killed a transgender man who gained attention in the summer after he posted a video of himself suffering an Asperger's meltdown.
Mesa police identified the victim as Danielle Jacobs, his legal name, but friends said they knew him as Kayden Clarke. Clarke had hoped to transition from female to male, chronicling his journey on YouTube, but had said he faced numerous obstacles because of his autism-spectrum disorder.
The 24-year-old was armed with a knife and charged at two officers Thursday who responded to a call about a suicidal person at a home, Mesa police said. Both officers were very near Clarke and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>fired at him.
Those who knew Clarke<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said the combination of trying to transition to a man, Asperger's and other health issues weighed on him.
USA TODAY
Connecticut marks 3rd anniversary of Sandy Hook horror
"He was frustrated that no matter what therapist he saw<span style="color: Red;">*</span>no one understood and (everybody) neglected his desire for health and happiness," Kae Glenn of Phoenix, a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>transgender man and Clarke's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>friend, wrote in a Facebook message.
At a news conference Friday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mesa police spokesman,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Detective Esteban Flores,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said the department had an officer trained in crisis intervention at the scene, but officers had no information about Clarke's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>condition when they arrived at the house. Officers did have stun guns<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but did not have other<span style="color: Red;">*</span>less-lethal options<span style="color: Red;">*</span>with them.
“He was frustrated that no matter what therapist he saw no one understood and (everybody) neglected his desire for health and happiness.”
Kae Glenn, Phoenix
They also did not have<span style="color: Red;">*</span>body cameras to record the confrontation, which<span style="color: Red;">*</span>escalated quickly, Flores said. All Mesa officers are expected to have body cameras within 18 months.
The shooting occurred at about 1 p.m. ET Thursday in a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>neighborhood with a mix of families and retirees, Flores said. The officer trained in crisis intervention went into the house with two other officers.
One without training left the house to get another less-than-lethal weapon, but<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Clarke, holding a chef's knife with an 8-inch blade,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>lunged at the two remaining officers.
He was taken to taken to a hospital but did not survive his injuries.
Flores would not say how many times the victim had been shot.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Police previously had<span style="color: Red;">*</span>encountered him in a similar call.
In a one-minute clip on YouTube published June 1, Clarke was shown sobbing and hitting himself repeatedly in the chest and head. His 4-year-old service dog, Samson, comforted him and can<span style="color: Red;">*</span>be seen moving his hands away from his body so<span style="color: Red;">*</span>he stops harming himself.
USA TODAY
College football player with Asperger's did the 'impossible'
Eventually, Clarke sinks down on the floor as Samson cuddles up against him, and the meltdown passes.
"This is what having Asperger's is like," Clarke wrote in the video's description. "This really happened, and it's not easy to open myself and share what it's like on a daily basis."
The video had more than 2.5 million views and nearly 1,500 comments, many that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>thanked Clarke<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for his courage and attempt to raise awareness of the challenges of living with Asperger's syndrome. Others took to Twitter to praise him.
USA TODAY
Cost of treating transgender troops called negligible
Outreach Manager Erin Denmark at Helping Animals Live On<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter here, said Clarke adopted his service dog, Sampson, from HALO in May 2013. He<span style="color: Red;">*</span>trained the Rottweiler on his own to assist with his needs.
“We tried to help mentor (him) and help (him), and so it is very tragic what has happened today," Denmark said late Thursday. "(He’s) a former volunteer with us but a friend of HALO."
HALO kept in touch with Clarke and, at one point gave him a job in one of its three shelters,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Denmark said.
USA TODAY
Kremlin spokesman says Putin does not have Asperger's
Heather Allen, Halo Rescue's chief executive, said the organization has attempted to reach out to Clarke's family.
"We hope to find a home for Sampson where his extensive training can benefit someone else . ... <span style="color: Red;">*</span>and are hoping to ensure Sampson is cared for," Allen said in a Facebook message.
Clarke also left a wealth of other videos on YouTube.
Contributing:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Kayla S. Samoy, The Arizona Republic. Follow Lindsey Collom and Christopher Silavong on Twitter:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@LindseyCollom<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@CKsilavong
Related:
USA TODAY
Minn. teen with Asperger's syndrome writes to inspire
USA TODAY
Susan Boyle diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome
USA TODAY
Burt Bacharach opens up about daughter's suicide
0) { %> 0) { %>
0) { %>
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed