A mentally ill black man called police last week asking for help as he was dealing with issues stemming from his bipolar disorder, according to a Thursday report.
The dispatch recording of the March 19 shooting of Jermaine Massey reveals he called the Greenville County Sheriff’s office seeking help out of fear he was on the verge of hurting his family, the Greenville News reported.
“My mind is gone. Your daddy’s mind is gone,” Massey tells his son in the recording while speaking with the 911 dispatcher. “I don’t want you to be around me right now, son. I don’t. I feel like I’m going to kill my whole family.”
Here’s an excerpt from the call:
“Bipolar, and a little bit of schizophrenia, but I haven’t been hearing any voices today,” Massey said.
The dispatcher replies: “If you would, try not to do anything before we get an officer there, OK?”
Massey replies: “I will try not to, though I’m itching real bad.”
Dispatcher: “Do you want to stay on the phone, would that be easier for you?”
Massey: “I feel like I’m getting ready to do something stupid.”
Dispatcher: “Listen to me, just calm down and we’re going to send an officer there.”
Massey: “No, no, I just feel it. I feel it. I feel it in my (expletive) heart. I’m fixing to do something real stupid. And my kids are out here, and I don’t want my kids to see this (expletive).”
Greenville county deputies fired on Massey after they showed up to his house and he allegedly approached them with a knife in his hands, according to the police account. Police said they tried to use a taser to subdue Massey, but it did not work, prompting them to turn to lethal methods.
The shooting is currently under investigation and the deputies involved are on paid leave.
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