HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — News 3 is taking a closer look at the death of Irvo Otieno, who died while in custody outside of Richmond, and the concerns over the mental health system.
Some say they believe the mental health system completely failed. The National Alliance of Mental Illness in Virginia (NAMI) is calling for changes.
The final moments of Irvo Otieno's death at a state mental health hospital led to murder charges against those involved in restraining him.
His family and mental health experts call for change.
"Why was my son murdered?" said his mother Caroline Ouko.
It's a question mental health experts want to be answered, too.
"One of the things we always say is 'provide someone with help, not handcuffs'" said Max Willey, the VP and advocacy chair of NAMI.
Willey believes a good first step for change starts with state psychiatric hospitals being equipped to handle patients in need of service.
"Oftentimes we see someone acting up or they're conducting behavior that just looks abnormal to the average person, but a trained officer can look at those signs and approach the individual with a way that they can try and de-escalate," said Willey.
News 3's law enforcement analyst Larry Boone, who use to be Norfolk's police chief sat and watched Otieno's final moments for the first time.
"That's startling, to say the least, to see a young man that was living at one point and shortly after the action of law enforcement, he lied motionless," said Boone.
Boone explained Norfolk's Crisis Intervention Team also known as CIT.
"It's a 40-hour block of training. Every officer goes through training," Boone said. "You come upon an individual that's going through a mental psychosis, you create distance and you communicate okay and you try and de-escalate the situation as opposed to going right in and there shouldn't be a time factor on this."
Boone says officers undergo training every two years to take a refresher course to recognize signs of someone having mental health issues.
"You have a handful of specialized officers that have more than 40 hours that ride with the mental clinician to have that force multiplier of an officer, that had a little more training and then you have that other person that's the professional addressing the individual that's going through a psychosis," said Boone.
Otieno's death led to seven deputies and three hospital employees being indicted on second-degree murder charges by a grand jury.
NAMI leaders are pushing for more awareness about CIT officers and changes on how officials treat people experiencing a mental health crisis.
"It's a universal problem that we need to resolve within our state and nationally," said Willey.
NAMI leaders also believe officers should undergo enhanced training when responding to mental health calls and crises.
"We want to advocate for more care and to be empathetic towards the need for individuals who are going through mental health conditions," said Willey.
Governor Glenn Youngkin addressed Otieno's death. Youngkin said he believes reform is desperately needed, adding saying there's a mismatch between demand and capacity.
