Donations Sought for Family of 17-Year-Old Killed by Santa Cruz Sheriffs

This was an unfortunate event. I dont understand, though, how the house and possessions were noticeably destroyed by the deputies gunfire. Firstly, the room had apparently been destroyed by the deceased with a 'club'. Secondly, the officers fired fewer than 10 rounds. Furniture is not destroyed by ten 9 mm rounds. Lets keep the focus on the tragedy rather than politics.

In Santa Cruz people thought their police officers were above killing the mentally ill, but this shooting proves that is not the case. There has been no indication that Jim Hart and the Santa Cruz Sheriffs Department intend to take any measures whatsover to prevent a killing like this from happening again in the future to our mentally ill citizenry.

Sheriff Hart called this a "tragedy".

That is the same language used by police and district attorneys across the country. Using the word "tragedy" implies they have no culpability in the killings of mentally ill citizens, and it gives them the excuse not to improve police policies.

Were the officers who killed Cyrus Hurtado trained in Crisis Intervention Training? If so, when was their last class on how to deal with the mentally ill? These questions seem to have been glossed over by the sheriffs, the DA, and the media.

The Santa Cruz Sheriffs Department set up a perimeter around the Boulder Creek house, which means that the public was safe from the mentally ill boy. There must be ways for police officers to safely apprehend a mentally ill person in situations like this.

Some have said the Winchester gun pictured could not have possibly been powerful or accurate enough to kill any of the sheriffs on the scene that night.

Family members need to be able to call an emergency number that will bring them medical attention for their mentally ill family members during a crisis like this. Families shouldn't have to worry about their mentally ill family members being executed when they call 911.

This case is very similar to what happened to Errol Chang in Pacifica. The police presence in dealing Errol, who was also mentally ill, escalated the situation and made it worse, and then killed him.

Justice For Errol Chang
https://www.facebook.com/justiceforerrolchang

A recent Washington Post report found that of the 462 people who have been shot to death so far this calendar year by police, 124, or about a quarter, were “in the throes of mental or emotional crisis.”

Officers often lack the training to approach the mentally unstable, experts say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/06/30/distraught-people-deadly-results/

I wish we were different in Santa Cruz, but we are not.

We kill society's mentally ill here just like everywhere else.

From Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin:

"His grandfather is recovering and is in physically good shape. Emotionally the family is starting the healing process. The funeral is going to be later this week, it is a private event for family and friends only. Kevin Foster Construction has almost finished the repairs to the home, he has donated all of the labor and local businesses have donated almost all of the materials as well. The home is close to looking like it did before the incident. The family has also received an outpouring of support from locals in many ways. Donations to cover the funeral costs can be done through Valley Churches United Missions"

http://mountainbulletin.com/2015/07/13/boulder-creek-shooting-update-2-17-year-old-male-identified/

The article referenced below discusses the benefits of CIT. Does anyone know whether the responding deputies in question (any of them) had undergone this training?

How Police Officers Are (or Aren’t) Trained in Mental Health

Checking the map here, it doesn't look like Santa Cruz has a program in place. Not sure how current the data in question is, however.

California CIT Map

I'm guessing from this article (citing only Peninsula area police departments, as per the map above) that the data is current...

BAY AREA OFFICERS GET EXTRA CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING

Cops always say they do this kind of thing to protect people, but look at where one of the deputies' bullets landed: in a car that was parked in the grandparents' driveway.

The deputies CREATED a safety hazard that previously did not exist by shooting so poorly and so wildly. They obviously need more training in general.

One of the photos in the Santa Cruz Sentinel shows a police marker on a car in the grandparents driveway:

"Evidence markers are seen atop a car parked in the driveway 15215 Fern Ave. in Boulder Creek on Friday afternoon. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)"

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150713/teen-identified-in-boulder-creek-fatal-shooting

This is from a friend of the family:

Account for donations to help the family in Boulder Creek who suffered a horrendous tragedy ending with their grandson suffering fatal gunshot injuries has been set up at
Liberty Bank - Boulder Creek
Account #02179538
Benefitting Rol & Debbie Hiler
The funds donated will be used to pay the mortuary for all costs involved, cover the cost of materials to make necessary repairs to the damage done to their home during the incident, food gift cards for the family at this time & other expenses as they arise while the community steps up to help this family at their most difficult time. Donations can be made at either Liberty Bank branch. Thank you for the unbelievable compassion & giving nature of this amazing community. Proud to be a part of it.

Above it was said:

"Some have said the Winchester gun pictured could not have possibly been powerful or accurate enough to kill any of the sheriffs on the scene that night. "

No... It's a deadly weapon alright, the issue as I see it, having owned a model '94 back in the 70s when I lived in hunting country, is that the round it fires, the .30-.30 unjacketed bullet, although more than capable of killing someone, is one of the best types of ammunition for hunting in dense brushy country. Why? It's a LOW-VELOCITY round which tends to be less deflected from it's trajectory when it strikes a twig or somesuch in it's path.

The upshot of this is that even the most rudimentary piece of body armor will absolutely positively stop it. You'd have a hella bruise, maybe a cracked rib, but that kind of ammunition is patently incapable of piercing even the most primitive form of protection that a law enforcement officer on duty might wear.

Further, the model 94 IS NOT a rapid-fire weapon. You need to cock the lever EVERY TIME you fire it. That gun also has one of THE most identifiable profiles, even by people who aren't gun nuts like cops, of any weapon in the world except maybe the much publicized AK47.

The Sheriffs KNEW they were looking at a deadly weapon, but one that is almost back in blunderbuss days by modern law enforcement armament standards.

The best Hurtado could have done was fire ONE round, and he would have died in a hail of bullets.

The sheriffs deputies couldn't wait. Couldn't let the suspect fall out from exhaustion. Nothing. I'm POSITIVE what 'negotiations' happened were nothing more than DEMANDS by the sheriff's deputies.

It appears the sheriffs are incapable of detaining ANYONE armed with a gun and I wonder why they make A LOT OF MONEY to 'take risks' when they simply assassinate the suspect. Assassins came be hired a lot cheaper.

"She said Hurtado also suffered from a mental health disorder, though she declined to describe it."

Memorial fund started for Boulder Creek teen killed by deputies
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/20150714/memorial-fund-started-for-boulder-creek-teen-killed-by-deputies


The article also states there was damage to the home caused by the shooting:

"Kevin Foster of Boulder Creek-based Kevin Foster Construction replaced a door and windows damaged in the shooting and parts of the home damaged by Hurtado earlier in the night. Foster said materials for the job were donated by ProBuild in Felton and from Scarborough Lumber in Boulder Creek. Many others also offered materials, he said."