[kellyhound]

Modesto Police Officer Jacob Mertz spent more than 30 minutes talking to and building a rapport with Dylan Harvey on the night of July 4.

Mertz convinced Harvey to put down the knives with which he’d threatened his father and come out of his locked bedroom.

They sat at a dining room table together at the home on Roselawn Avenue while Harvey smoked a cigarette.

Much of what Harvey said was nonsensical and disjointed but Officer Mertz listened, politely responding and asking Harvey questions about his life and hobbies.

Mertz convinced a tentative Harvey to come outside, where he told him an ambulance would soon come to take him “to talk to a doctor.”

Harvey told the officer he was scared of them and asked, “Can I touch your badge of honor? Safety and protection.”

“100 percent,” Mertz said before they proceeded outside. Harvey started smoking another cigarette outside. Then Mertz and the other officer at the scene went to their patrol car to look for the paperwork needed to put Harvey on an involuntary psychiatric hold. That’s when Harvey went back inside the house, to his bedroom, where the knives were.

Five minutes later, Mertz shot Harvey twice after Harvey picked up a knife and made several stabbing motions at Mertz, cutting him once in the hand.

The Modesto Police Department on Friday released nearly an hour of uncut footage from Mertz’s body camera video from the incident.

Nearly nonstop fireworks can be heard exploding in the background; the incident took place on the Independence Day holiday.

Harvey remains hospitalized with gunshot wounds to his jaw and arm and has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer.

Harvey’s father, Kim Hunter, told that his son has bipolar schizoaffective disorder and cannot care for himself. He said he had to quit his job as a school teacher in 2011 in order to care for Harvey.

Hunter said that on the night of the shooting Harvey had been off his medication for three days. Harvey had Hunter’s phone and he became angry when Hunter tried to get it back.

In the body camera video, Hunter told the officers his son waved two long knives at him and that he was concerned he would attack him.


longer vid in yt link:

[Mr.NoCredit]

I’m so glad I’m not a police officer. Not a job I would ever want. I’m glad we have them but never cared for personal interaction. They really become jaded after working the streets for a while…

[Massacreman]

That whole ending is just brutal.

The cop wanted nothing to do with hurting the guy.

The guy wanted to be left alone and didn't really seem like he was putting real effort into stabbing.

At the end, when he isn't able to verbalize the fact he's choking on his own blood, the cries kinda hit me. Yeah, he technically made his bed with that one, but mental disorders are really hard sometimes.

I hope they both come out okay.

[joos]

"BVVMMMMVMMMMUVV" - Crazy Guy after getting shot in the face.

[Eternally Solo]

Watched the whole video on YT. This officer was extremely patient with Dylan. He handled his mental health issues quite well IMO.

[Moon]

I watched the whole thing on YouTube as well. The cop was amazing and trusting. He even turns his back on the guy in one instance, provided he did have a partner nearby. But this is something cops are trained not to do is turn your back on a subject that has weapons near them.
That being said, did the cop not have a taser? Looks like he would have gone for non-lethal first instead of a lethal weapon.