U.S. News

Lives of Mentally Ill, Police Collide

Law-enforcement professionals and mental-health advocates believe they are seeing an increase in fatal encounters between police and the mentally ill.

Oct. 22, 2013 10:30 p.m. ET

HILLIARD, Ohio—It was near the intersection of Fishinger and Smiley that Tony LaRosa's life careened into Billy Lane's mental illness.

A police dispatcher had sent Officer LaRosa to what seemed like a routine accident call. When he arrived, Mr. Lane, 25 years old, was outside his wrecked SUV, bloodied, holding a butcher's knife and threatening passersby. Mr. Lane advanced relentlessly on the police officer, who shot him four times....

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