Cops Who Killed Christian Glass Were Told to Fix Mental Health Response Years Ago

Two years before officers shot and killed a young man who called 911 when his vehicle got stuck during a mental health crisis, the Colorado sheriff’s office responsible was told to improve its mental health policing.

Now, weeks after the intense backlash over the incident, the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office has announced they’re hoping to implement a crisis response team.

Christian Glass was shot dead by a sheriff’s deputy in June while he was sitting in the driver's seat of his vehicle after being tasered and shot with rubber bullets. The 22-year-old, who told the dispatcher he had a knife and other tools for his amateur geology hobby, wouldn’t leave the vehicle because he was frightened of the police. At the time of his death, officers had surrounded him with their weapons drawn.

Glass had not committed a crime, and his parents later said they believed he was having a mental health episode.

Now, months after the killing, the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office announced it would be researching and developing a “crisis response team”— cops or even non-law enforcement officers with special training to help people in the midst of mental health or drug crises. 

It’s something a grand jury had recommended two years ago, according to the lawyers representing Glass’ family, after officers shot and killed a 57-year-old man experiencing a mental health episode. The sheriff, however, did not give a timeline for the team's creation. 

In August 2020, the man led Clear Creek officers on a chase and eventually pointed a gun at them before being shot and killed. The man was well known to officers for his struggles with mental health and his home was dubbed the “nut house.” 

The grand jury recommended that the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, “identify mental health resources, whether in or outside the county, that can immediately be made available to law enforcement to assist those individuals in a mental health crisis.” Clear Creek Sheriff's Office did not respond to VICE News questions about the recommendation. 

“Not only did the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office ignore the grand jury’s well-founded recommendations, but over the last four months since Christian’s death the sheriff’s office has misled the public about the facts of Christian’s murder and repeatedly condoned, justified, and exonerated their deputies’ conduct,” reads a statement by the lawyers provided to VICE News. 

The officer who killed Glass was back on duty within days of shooting the young man. He has yet to be charged or face significant discipline, but the investigation into the incident has been handed off to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. In his statement, Albers said “district attorney what further action is appropriate” following the review.

While the existence of a crisis response team may have saved Glass’ life, the announcement is too little too late for the lawyers of the Glass family. 

“None of the deputies involved in Christian’s murder have been disciplined and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office deputy who shot and killed Christian is still on the street in uniform,” reads their statement. “The time for “research and development” has passed and the nation must demand action and justice for Christian Glass.”