Cops Were Called To Help A Woman With Asperger's Syndrome. Instead They Shot Her Dead
The mentally ill woman had won the Internet's hearts last year with her viral video where she tries to punch herself and her dog comforts her.
By Sadho Ram — 06 Feb 2016, 11:56 AM
A 24-year-old American woman has been shot dead by police
According to reports, police officers were called to her flat in Arizona for a suicide call.
Speaking to AZ Family, Detective Esteban Flores with the Mesa Police Department said around 11 am, police received multiple calls about a suicidal woman. When officers made contact with her, she stated she had a knife and was going to hurt herself. Flores said she came at both officers with the knife, and they fired their duty weapons.
"She had one knife that we know of, she had something else we're not sure what it was, the officers said it was dark inside the room. When she made contact with them she approached them with the knife, extended it out, and they felt threatened."
The woman has been identified as Danielle Jacobs, who had Asperger's syndrome and had warmed the Internet's heart with her viral dog video that she shared last year.
It showed her dog Samson comforting her during a "meltdown" because she wanted people to see what it's like to have Aspergers's syndrome, one type of autism spectrum disorder.
She was diagnosed with the disorder back in 2013. It is a disorder on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. According to HuffPost, Jacobs wanted to help others with autism.
She said she shared her experience to raise awareness.
"The reason why I posted this video is because that adult [you may see] on the floor kicking and screaming and that kid in the grocery store crying over a toy is [experiencing something they can't control]," Jacobs said. "The kid in the grocery store doesn't need to be smacked or have harder discipline. His tantrum is something he can't control. The wires in his brain are all twisted, he can't communicate and say, 'Hey, I'm angry.'"
Instead, she said, the behavior that bystanders may see as inappropriate is a "release of too much stimuli."
Talking to The Daily News, Danielle's mother, Stacia, expressed shock at the death. She said the officers were well aware of her daughter's special needs before entering the residence.
“I talked to her last night and the night before and she seemed fine.
“Before the police arrived she wasn't posing a threat to the community at all. And the police came into her own place.
“They shot and killed a 24-year-old autistic, mentally ill individual whom they had been familiar with and were aware of her special needs.'
"Someone once told me that people with Asperger's or autism are like a computer. There's too much input and not enough output – you lose power and crash." - These were her words when she described her disorder last year. May her soul RIP.
