Police investigators say a man shot by Federal Way officers last month was holding a realistic-looking" BB gun when police responded after he called 911 for experiencing suicidal ideation.
Caution Mann, 19, who remains at Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, was shot by three officers on June 24. The Valley Independent Investigative Team, the multidepartment team looking into the officers’ response, said in a news release Thursday that Mann had a "realistic-looking CO2 powered BB gun."
The release said investigators learned from body-worn camera video that Mann ran into a nearby apartment complex and was acting "erratic." Mann, "who had been holding the pistol to their head," allegedly then turned it at officers, who fired at Mann, the release states.
The investigation later determined the BB gun was an "authentic replica" licensed by Glock. In an image of the weapon the team released, a lanyard is wrapped around it that states "The Lord is my shield.
The gun was recovered near Mann, the release said.
An attorney for the Mann family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The family held a news conference last week asking why they had not been permitted to view body-worn camera footage or learn about the investigation.
“It was a call from a young man who was self-reporting that he was in the midst of a mental health crisis,” the attorney, Brian McDaniel, said at the time. “He was dealing with a circumstance that he was not himself equipped to deal with.”
At the time he was shot, Mann was on electronic home detention for first-degree robbery charges. On the day of the shooting, around the time Mann called 911, the detention system received two alerts that the GPS tracking equipment was tampered with or disabled, according to violation documents. A caseworker called Mann, and in the background, police sirens could be heard.
According to the violation document, Mann started crying and told his caseworker, “I can’t do this anymore.” The caseworker heard commands in the background to drop the gun, and Mann reportedly told the caseworker that police were pointing their guns at him, the violation document states.
“He began to yell at the police, stating that he had a gun to his head and would end his life,” the violation report states. He then relayed a message to the caseworker about saying goodbye to his daughter before the call was disconnected, the document says.
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