“You know he had a mental health issue”: Family demands answers as Detroit man Porter Burks is shot to death by police

Porter Burks, a man from Detroit with a history of mental health issues, was fatally shot by police on Sunday, October 2, Fox News reported.

According to the outlet, early Sunday morning Detroit police responded to a call from the family of Porter Burks where they stated that the 20-year-old, amid a mental health crisis, was brandishing a knife.

Police said after they arrived at Porter Burks' residence on Snowden near Lyndon, Detroit, they tried to contain the situation. However, the officers shot Burks after he charged at them with a knife.

Devastated by Porter Burks' death, the family told Fox News that they only wanted the police to de-escalate the situation and get the 20-year-old the help that he needed.

Burks’ aunt, Michelle Wilson, bereaved by the loss of her nephew, said that the police were aware that he had mental health issues. In a statement to Fox News, she said,

"That’s a pain you would never be able to heal; my sister is hurting. We are hurting. You know he had a mental health issue. You’ve dealt with him before. Why would you kill him?"

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The family of Porter Burks were trying to get him to a treatment facility at the time of the incident

Burks' brother Damondo Anderson told the outlet that his family was trying to get Burks to a mental treatment facility when Burks pulled a knife at the residence. Anderson said that the intent behind the 911 call was for the authorities to send Emergency Medical Services so they could get his brother back to the treatment facility.

"Just to send EMS out so that they could get him back to mental treatment, that’s all we just wanted him to get back to the mental treatment."

Speaking about her nephew Burks, Michelle said,

"Porter loves to dance. He always smiled. He had some challenges he was dealing with his mental health issues. Detroit needs to help people that have health issues, not take them away from us."

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Police used a taser to subdue Porter Burks before he was shot to death

According to Fox News, Detroit Police Chief James White said that his officers responded to a disturbance report at Burks’ residence around 5 am on Sunday. The caller stated that the suspect wielding a knife was in the midst of a mental crisis.

According to a witness statement, after the police arrived at the scene, they found Burks brandishing a knife. The officers then tried to control the situation using a taser on Burks, which reportedly failed to have the desired effect to subdue the suspect, Fox news reports.

A witness told the outlet that Burks then charged at the officer who shot him to death. Officials are reportedly investigating the death of a Detroit man plagued with mental health issues.

In a statement to Fox News, White said:

"Got a policy - we're looking at who deployed the weapon, who deployed the taser, the body cameras, the witnesses, and all the cameras we have in the area."

Officials have not yet revealed the names or the number of officers involved in the incident. However, they did say that this was an active investigation.