OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Sunday, May 19, seemed like any other late spring afternoon. A warm and humid day. But it would change rapidly after a 911 call from a 23-year-old man’s mother at 12:20 p.m.
Less than 30 minutes later, an officer from the Ocala Police Department (OPD) would shoot the man, critically injuring him, because they say he was armed with pepper spray and a knife and posed a threat to them.
On Monday at a news conference, OPD released edited video clips from an officer’s body-worn camera.
How it started
Earlier in the day, the OPD says the woman brought her son, David Laperriere, to The Vines hospital in Ocala for an intervention. It’s an outpatient facility to help people with mental illness and substance abuse.
The woman told officers her son left the center on foot and was acting erratic and had made multiple statements suggesting “suicide by cop.”
Officers were able to locate Laperriere on foot in the 5500 block of SW 27th Avenue.
Bodycam footage captures the encounter
It was at 12:38 p.m. that OPD officer Sgt. Sean Young starts talking to Laperriere.
“Hey what’s up David? What’s going on man? Your mom’s calling us all worried,” Sgt. Young can be heard saying on his bodycam video.
Within five seconds the tenor of the environment changed markedly. Police say Laperriere showed his hands revealing he had a fixed-blade knife in his right hand, and a cannister of higher concentration pepper spray that’s used on animals like bears, in his left hand.
“You’re not in any trouble. Relax. Relax. Relax,” Young said.
The next six minutes would be laden with stress and anxiety.
“In that time period, he made several statements that he wanted to end his life,” said Lou Biondi, OPD deputy chief of police at a news conference held Monday regarding the incident. Biondi was flanked by Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano and Maj. Steve Cuppy from OPD’s Investigative Services division.
Biondi said LaPerriere began waving his arms and first responders followed their training and protocol, doing everything they could to deescalate the situation. At one point on the video, he can be seen holding the knife to his own throat and saying more than once that today would be the day he dies.
“Drop them man. Drop them buddy,” Sgt. Young instructs Laperriere to put down the pepper spray and knife.
When he didn’t comply, Biondi told reporters that officers employed non-lethal force to try to subdue Laperriere. The video shows almost simultaneously one officer tazed Laperriere but it proved ineffective, while a second one deployed a 40 mm multi-launcher with foam rounds which also had no effect.
You can see Laperriere activates the pepper spray, which police say has a range of 40 feet. The video shows him then spray and charge at Sgt. Young who had a handgun.
The video clip ends just as Young discharges his sidearm. A police report says Young fired multiple rounds, ending the threat.
“They did everything according to protocol for this incident,” said Biondi.
The officers than began applying lifesaving measures and first aid, with medics en route to the site.
Marion County Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene at 12:51 p.m. and the Laperriere was transported to the hospital at 1:01 p.m.
As of Monday afternoon, he was still in the hospital where police say he has undergone several surgeries and is recovering. Biondi said he will have to undergo several more surgeries during the week and is under 24-hour guard.
Coping with mental health crisis
Police told reporters that Laperriere’s family had been doing all they could to cope with the situation over the weekend. They said as his behavior became more concerning, they decided to seek professional help on Sunday morning.
Reporters asked whether a crisis intervention team where a trained clinician is paired with law enforcement may have made a difference in the outcome of Sunday’s encounter with police. Biondi said they wouldn’t put a civilian in an environment where they would be in harm’s way.
“It’s been a focus of mine to improve mental health within the community,” Mayor Marciano added. “We’re looking at measures about how we can address the issue. I think we can do more. My prayers are with the family, subject and the officers involved.”
What’s next
The officers involved in the incident were affected by the pepper spray and have received medical treatment. The officer that used lethal force is currently on administrative leave, said Biondi. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conduct an investigation into the matter, as will OPD.
Laperriere has been charged with multiple felonies, two counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated assault. He’ll face those charges once he’s released from the hospital.