SALT LAKE CITY — Justified use of force. That was the official ruling Friday from the Salt Lake County District Attorney regarding an officer-involved critical incident in West Valley City, January 1st of this year.
But Sim Gill says this case really illustrates the need for additional mental health resources in the hopes of preventing situations like this.
The man shot and killed by a West Valley Police officer, Erik Bertelsen, was in the process of stabbing to death his own parents on New Year’s Day.
And as the officer’s body worn shows, even after being given several commands by police, Bertelsen didn’t stop…until he was shot by one of the officers.
Salt Lake County DA Sim Gill officially ruled on the OICI case on Friday
“Our conclusion is that this is within the perimeter of justified use of force.”
Justified but according to the DA, possibly preventable.
Officials say Bertelsen had been undergoing a severe mental health crisis in the days and weeks leading up to the murders.
He’d been released from prison, in and out of jail, in and out of a local hospital.
He was also self-medicating using meth.
And it appears as though his parents did not know where to turn.
The DA is calling the case a tragedy of all tragedies.
“And I want to be very clear, I absolutely want to say this…I am not pointing a finger at anyone!
“Because the criminal justice system will respond to a crisis, but it cannot be the manager of these kind of realities.”
Gill says we need more resources like the new Huntsman Mental Health Crisis Care Center.
Kevin Curtis is Director of Clinical Operations.
“And so I’d like to think that, potentially, care might have looked different, had this facility been available.”
Curtis says one thing he wants everyone to know is if they or someone they love is in crisis, help is a phone call away.
“If there’s one answer of who to call, it’s 988. Or you don’t know what to do, 988. They can help guide, educate, and connect. And if you need a place to go…walk in, we’re here.”
The crisis care facility in South Salt Lake City opened March 31.
It might not have made a difference in the Bertelsen case.
But Kevin Curtis says 988 is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“It’s education, it’s guidance, it’s de-escalation. I think the biggest challenge for our families is that they know their loved one needs help, but they don’t know what to do or where to go.”
“We’ve got to build more but we also have to get the word out and have people use some of these great resources that our state has invested in already to help plug some of these gaps.”
Curtis says there are similar but smaller facilities like Salt Lake County’s mental health crisis care center in Davis, Utah, and Washington counties.
But he really wants to get the word out about 988…which works statewide and can also help with minor children dealing with a mental health crisis.
