MPD urges mental health awareness following deadly standoff – FOX13 News Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An almost seven-hour barricade state of affairs in a Southwest Memphis neighborhood got here to an finish Friday evening when MPD discovered the suspect and his father lifeless from gunshot wounds.

The suspect’s family members referred to as the person a loving father with a great job.

They stated his psychological well being had been in decline, however they by no means noticed something just like the standoff coming.

“Should you see anyone that you simply care about struggling, do the best factor,” Officer Louis Brownlee, spokesperson for the MPD stated. “Encourage them to hunt assist.”

SWAT vans, Animal Companies vans and dozens of squad automobiles descended on the suburban neighborhood. MPD studies officers took a four-year-old woman out of the home safely in the course of the ordeal.

MORE: Two men found dead after barricade situation in Southwest Memphis, MPD says

“Officers made the scene; they had been in a position to make contact with the suspect and negotiated the discharge of the kid,” Brownlee stated.

Yvette Jennings, the grandmother of the woman, informed FOX13 the woman’s father was on the heart of the standoff.

During the last 12 months, she stated the suspect had grown more and more paranoid.

“I simply know issues hadn’t been the identical however with that being stated, it’s surprising,” Jennings stated. “It’s only a catastrophe.”

Berenese Canady, a Psychiatrist-mental Well being Nurse Practitioner, stated even these closest to an individual typically don’t know the way dangerous they might be feeling.

“I feel even in case you are dwelling with an individual and are round them 24/7, chances are you’ll not even have an inkling of an concept,” she stated.

She inspired folks to succeed in out to their family members they assume could also be going through difficulties, particularly as a result of the vacations can have a detrimental impression on psychological well being.

“The message of affection and happiness is amplified throughout this time of the 12 months, however the reverse aspect is that it amplifies folks’s emotions of hopelessness and despair,” Canady stated.

That hopelessness and despair can manifest in conditions like Friday’s. As SWAT left the neighborhood and residents started to return to their properties, the suspect’s family members acquired the decision they’d been dreading all evening and their cries crammed the air.

“There’s nothing flawed with searching for assist,” Brownlee stated. “Having the time to talk to that councilor or taking medicine could possibly be the factor to save lots of your life or save the life of somebody that you simply love.”

Canady stated it’s important to pay shut consideration to adjustments within the habits and behaviors of your family members and to get them assist as quickly as doable.

MPD has not launched the names of the suspect or sufferer.

©2022 Imagicomm Memphis, Inc.