Kitchener, Ont. man was having mental health crisis when he was killed by police, says family

The family says they called police to bring the man to hospital, instead they killed him.

The family of a 31-year-old man who was fatally shot by police on Monday say he was having a mental health crisis when he was killed.

The province’s police watchdog is now investigating the incident, which happened on Brybeck Crescent near Karn Street in Kitchener, Ont. around 9 p.m.

Andre Nembhard says his brother, who had schizophrenia, was off his medication and had a machete in the house.

“We tried to seek some help from the police so we could bring him to the hospital to get him some help, get him on his medication again,” Nembhard said.

Nembhard claims police told him officers would come to the family’s home to speak with them. They were sitting down waiting for them to arrive when they heard gunshots outside.

“When I came out here – that’s my brother, under the police car suffering from a gunshot wound,” he said.

When the family tried to get closer, Nembhard says officers pushed them back.