Shooting shows how situation can go wrong

CLEVELAND (AP) — Officials say the police shooting of an Ohio man whose family says he was mentally ill highlights a dilemma: Forcing residents into treatment is almost impossible until it’s too late.

Police shot and killed 55-year-old Rick Sarver last weekend in suburban Middleburg Heights. Sarver was a frequent caller to police dispatchers, telling them about his sightings of Jesus, Mary and Joseph walking down the road, police said. Other times, he would warn of rats driving cars downtown.

Police said they suspected mental illness, a fact they didn’t confirm until he aimed a rifle at them last weekend during a standoff. Police shot and killed him.

“A lot of times, we know something is wrong, but we are powerless to do anything,” Middleburg Heights Police Chief John Maddox said.

Sarver’s family later told police he had been diagnosed with mental illness. But Sarver didn’t tell dispatchers he had a diagnosed problem. Unless mentally ill people are an immediate danger to themselves or the public, police cannot force them to get help, even if their judgment is obviously clouded.

“Those cases are the tough ones,” said Cleveland Municipal Judge Marilyn Cassidy, a former nurse and prosecutor. “There’s not middle ground for people that are not violent but are still at risk to themselves.”

The situation isn’t altogether uncommon, police, friends and mental health officials said.