Crime and safety analyst explains how law enforcement handles people who may be experiencing mental health crisis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said one of its officers shot and killed a man Sunday morning after he attacked his girlfriend and a police officer’s vehicle before charging at a police officer.

RELATED: Man shot, killed after attacking girlfriend, JSO officer’s vehicle, police say

JSO added that the man had an extensive drug history and that he may have been dealing with a mental health crisis when the situation occurred.

News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney explained how law enforcement is trained to handle situations similar to this one, saying that police have a goal of de-escalating, but sometimes, things change quickly.

“Not only does it harm the individual who does something to cause themselves to be killed by law enforcement to their immediate families, but also to the officer,” Hackney said. “The viewers who see this may not think of the trauma that’s associated with the taking of a life by law-enforcement officer, but but it is it is there, and it does weigh on them.”

According to the JSO website on officer-involved shootings, two cases in 2025 were originally for an “armed suicidal individual.”

“There are two sides of this coin when we talk about this one,” Hackney continued. “Every one of those incidents has to be looked at in its own incident, on its own merit, so you have to judge them and view them and investigate them and address whatever’s come from them.”

And Hackney says the department will likely take a look at the bigger picture to see what trends are happening both locally and nationwide.

The State Attorney’s Office is investigating this incident, and once complete, JSO said it will conduct its own.

The full briefing of Sunday’s incident by Chief Alan Parker and Sheriff T.K. Waters can be watched below.

A list of mental health resources available in Florida can be found here. There are also nationwide resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or someone you know.