Teen’s death raises big questions about police response to mental health

A 15-year-old boy with a bipolar diagnosis was shot and killed by two officers during a Santa Ana apartment visit earlier this month. His family says the officers never tried to calm things down despite knowing about his mental health struggles. Instead, their lawyers describe the police as "too quick to pull the trigger. " The family filed a claim against the city, arguing the shooting could have been avoided if officers had used less force. The boy’s mother, standing beside his supporters outside the police station, wore a bandage on her injured thumb. She says she begged officers not to shoot her son during his mental health crisis, shouting for them to taze him instead. But the officers fired immediately. The family’s lawyers call the shooting "100% preventable" and criticize the officers’ decision to use deadly force so fast.Police paint a different picture. They say the call started as a family fight where the boy allegedly stabbed his mother’s boyfriend with a knife. Officers claim they ordered him to drop the weapon, but he refused. The shooting happened within moments of their arrival. No body cam footage has been released yet, and the investigation remains open. This tragedy isn’t an isolated case. The boy’s family says they called police at least 10 times before for mental health help. Each time, responders worked with mental health workers to de-escalate the situation. This time, two officers showed up alone—and their response ended in death. The family says their son wasn’t a threat, just a teen in crisis.