Family of Jujaun Bates calls for changes to mental health response after fatal South Bend police shooting

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The family of Jujaun Bates is calling for changes to how South Bend police respond to people experiencing mental health crises, saying officers should have had more options available before fatally shooting the of Jujaun Bates during a confrontation in June.

Family members and supporters gathered Wednesday for a peaceful protest, after the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office determined the June 16 shooting was legally justified.

According to his mother, Sherrie Weekly, South Bend police officers responded after Bates' fiancée called 911, reporting that he had violated a protective order.

Body camera footage released by the department shows officers repeatedly ordering Bates to drop the weapon while following him on foot through several South Bend neighborhoods.

Officers spent more than 15 minutes attempting to de-escalate the situation. During that time, officers deployed tasers and pepper-ball in an effort to get Bates to surrender. 

According to the investigation, Bates fired his weapon into the air, prompting responding officers to open fire

While the prosecutor found the shooting to be lawful, Bates' family said they believe the encounter could have ended differently if more mental health resources had been available.

Bates' mother, Sherrie Weekly, said the night he was killed, he went to his fiancée's home because he was seeking a place where he felt comfortable while experiencing a mental health crisis.

"He just wanted to be somewhere familiar, somewhere he felt calm, somewhere he felt at peace," Weekly said. "He was fighting things in his head then."

Weekly said Bates had previously expressed suicidal thoughts before his death. She said she contacted police to assist him at that time.

"He had called me and he was crying and he said he wanted to end it and that he loved me," Weekly said. "I called the police and I met them at the apartment… they said there's nothing they can do because he's grown."

Weekly said she was disappointed that officers did not connect Bates with mental health services during that earlier encounter. 

Bates' oldest son, JuJaun Henry, also spoke publicly for the first time during Wednesday's protest. 

A high school junior, Henry said he is grieving milestones his father will no longer be able to share.

"Some nights I just cry thinking about the fact that my dad won't be there to see me graduate," Henry said. "My father's gone over something that just could've been handled differently."

The family said they are seeking justice for Bates and are calling on both South Bend Mayor James Mueller and the South Bend Police Department to offer their condolences while continuing discussions about expanding mental health resources and crisis intervention for law enforcement.