Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: The Graham County Sheriff’s Office took a man into custody who allegedly was attempting suicide by a cop.
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – Deputies with the Graham County Sheriff’s Office utilized less-than-lethal means to subdue and arrest a 26-year-old man who reportedly attempted to have officers shoot him early Tuesday morning.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, the suspect called County Dispatch at about 11:47 p.m. Monday night and said he had cut his wrists. The man disconnected, however, Dispatch plotted the call coming from the roundabout at 8th Avenue and Airport Road. During this time, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Safford Police Department gathered in the Department of Economic Security parking lot south of the 8th Avenue Bridge.
Dispatch re-established a call with the suspect, who reportedly was not pleased with law enforcement’s response to that time and stated he could have killed people in five different houses by then if he had chosen to do so.
At that time, County Dispatch attempted to transfer the suspect to the law enforcement personnel at the scene, however, the call would disconnect.
The suspect was then observed near the roundabout and units moved up to Graham Canal Road and 8th Avenue, where the Graham County Adult Detention Facility and Sheriff’s Office is.
The suspect did not appear to be armed as he came upon the officers and yelled several times at them to shoot him and kill him. The suspect refused to comply with officers’ orders until he was threatened with a TASER strike. The man eventually complied and was taken into custody without further incident. While some officers had non-lethal 40-mm rubber bullet launchers, others were armed with their duty weapons, all of which were hot and ready to be used if necessary.
Once in custody, the suspect said he should have brought a gun with him and that he would do so next time. After being treated at the hospital for a wrist laceration, the suspect was arrested and booked into jail on charges of misuse of emergency services and failure to comply with a lawful order as well as for his safety, according to the reporting deputy. After being booked into jail, the suspect apologized for his actions and said he “no longer felt suicidal.”
If you or someone you know has thoughts about ending their own life, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is there for you at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
