Utah Police shoot 13-year-old autistic boy after mother calls for help

Salt Lake City mayor calls for “transparency” into incident

A 13-year-old autistic boy has been left hospitalised in “serious” condition after he was shot by Utah police following a 911 call from his mother requesting emergency mental health assistance, according to reports.

Golda Barton, the teenager’s mother,  spoke to KUTV following the shooting, which took place on Friday, explaining that she had called 911 to ask for a Crisis Intervention Team to assist her son, Linden Cameron, who she said was having a mental breakdown.

Ms Barton said that she told police that 13-year-old Linden, who has Asperger’s, was unarmed and unable to regulate his reactions, and that he needed transporting to hospital for treatment.

“So, you call them, and they're supposed to come out and be able to deescalate a situation using the most minimal force possible,” Ms Barton told the local broadcaster.

When two officers arrived, the mother said she was asked to wait outside while they entered the house. She said that within minutes of police entering her home she heard an order to “get on the ground” and several gunshots.

Linden has injuries to his shoulder, both ankles, intestines, and bladder, according to his mother, and is still recovering in hospital.

Salk Lake City Police Sergeant Keith Horrocks said in a press conference on Saturday that police were called to a home in Glendale, Salt Lake City, on Friday to a report of a “violent psyche issue involving a juvenile” who had made threats with a weapon. 

Sgt Horrocks said the boy fled on foot away from the address and was shot by an officer during a short foot pursuit. He said he believed the boy was in “serious condition".

No weapon was found as of Friday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

“Why didn’t they Tase him? Why didn’t they shoot him with a rubber bullet?” Ms Barton asked on KUTV through tears. “You are big police officers with massive amounts of resources. Come on. Give me a break.”

Ms Barton told the broadcaster that her son suffers from severe separation anxiety and Friday was her first day back at work in almost a year.

Salt Late City’s mayor, Erin Mendenhall, has called for transparency into the incident and a swift investigation into the shooting “for the sake of everyone involved.”

“While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured,” Ms Mendenhall said in a statement to The Tribune.

“No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently," she said.

Neurodiverse Utah released a statement on their Facebook page on Sunday condemning the handling of the incident and the actions of officers.

“Police were called because help was needed but instead more harm was done when officers from the Salt Lake Police Department expected a 13-year-old experiencing a mental health episode to act calmer and collected than adult trained officers,” they said.

More details on the case are expected to be released within 10 business days as the investigation continues and when police body camera footage is released.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press