Friends and supporters of the family of Miles Hall, who was fatally shot by Walnut Creek police in June, are holding a protest at Walnut Creek City Hall this evening.
The protest is planned for 5 p.m. at the entry to City Hall at 1666 N. Main St., Walnut Creek.
Attorney John Burris said the family of the 23-year-old “did everything they were supposed to do even working with a police officer to get Miles help,” but two officers shot Hall for no reason, Burris said.
The attorney is filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Walnut Creek and five police officers allegedly involved in the death.
Burris alleges officers knew that Hall needed mental health care. The family had been working with a Walnut Creek police mental health resource officer to arrange a way to help Hall, according to Burris’s office. The Officer was allegedly at the scene before shots were fired.
Moments before the June 2 shooting, Hall ran in the direction of officers carrying a long metal pry bar.
Police fired beanbag rounds at Hall to try and stop his forward progress, but when that didn’t work, they shot him.
The officers were equipped with body-worn cameras, and footage of the shooting has been made available to the public at https://youtu.be/214IU1D6N6U.
I could see protesting Kaiser or his health care provider but the cops did everything right imo.
Yep!
You’re kidding me! WCPD had every reason to shoot him!
And YES I saw the video!
I STAND WITH WCPD!
Burris needs to stand in front of the police to stop the psychos whether they’re carrying a metal pole, a machete, or any other lethal weapon.
I am sorry for this family, but where do people go to protest giving away tax dollars to reward bad outcomes. Id’ rather my money go to schools, roads and infrastructure, than giveaways to families looking for a handout for every private failing. Is this the new lotto for some?
I’ve seen the video and yes he was running but the cops moved the side and the guy did not turn to run towards the cops… In fact if you watch the video the cops are actually moving at first into the path that the man was running in – he was not running towards them – before then move to the side and open fire.
I used to give cops the huge benefit of the doubt – then videos starting coming and quite simply my view of this has changed – as we see cops planting evidence, their stories are locked in and when the video comes out – it bears no similarity to the story the cops told.
Rob
Sounds like you saw a different video than everyone else.
Please, use a couple more commas.
Well I was there and he deserved to get shot. That metal pole was heavy. He could have killed me my wife or the cops.
Nobody died untill the police showed up.
I watched the video twice. The cops were left with no choice . They exhausted all reasonable means of stopping him.
Dude, the guy literally ran almost an entire block in their direction. He could have run away in ANY other direction. He tries to avoid the male cop but turns to charge the female cop who can be clearly seen backing up. The guy drops FEET from her. How that’s “running away” I’m not sure.
Rob, sorry but I think you need to see your mental health provider..no where in that video was anyone planting evidence. Seeing things that aren’t there is a sign of bigger issues
@ Nobody.
That’s true. Any no innocent people died after either. That’s the plan! That’s what the police are for, to stop the threat to innocent civilians!
“Nobody died untill the police showed up.”
So they should wait until someone dies before they show up?
“But two officers shot Hall for no reason.”
Ummmm, running at someone with a long metal pry bar certainly is a valid reason.
This is ridiculous. Such a sign of the times. I am NOT a fan of cops but I saw the body-cam footage and the cops did exactly what they had to.
Wake the F’ up people and maybe spend this time casing out your local Safeway for turds looking to jack granny’s wallet… smh
What a joke.No wonder our Society is the way it is.
I stand with WCPD
Attorney John Burris is just a garbage lawyer trying to collect money.
I assume the correct “reaction” would be to defend themselves with another 20-pound digging bar?
Families need to take some of the responsibility for the actions of their mentally ill loved ones and stop blaming officers for stopping a grown-ass man charging them with a legitimately deadly weapon. Deadly force was met with deadly force…simple as that.
Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy6WWFT19Oc
Watch and make up your own mind.
John Burris is like a fungus that won’t go away.
Sorry I won’t be there, I support WCPD they absolutely did every thing they possibly could do to avoid the end result in this situation.
It is not surprising that Burrhead is in the fray! Just like Sharpton, Jackson, et al resort to public display and behind the scenes the WCPD and of WNCK will settle out of court.
He advanced on the LEO with an iron bar. What does he mean that there was no reason to shoot the miscreant??!!
These Grope tests are all the same.
It’s a terrible outcome but the recording says they need help and that he was violent… in the end the officers used all resources to stop him and unfortunately it cost him his life… sad but well done that no one else was hurt
Unjustified shooting plain and simple. There was no immediate threat to the officers and public. How reckless can the officers be by discharging their firearms in a public residential neighborhood.! A stray bullet could have killed a innocent bystander. We all should be outraged by their careless act.
You might consider using the sarcasm tag. Some folks might think you are serious. [/s] But just that at the end will suffice.
It’s pretty rare that the police just happen to be at a gun range when having an unplanned shooting but I’m sure they will take your brilliant analysis to heart the next time they have a spontaneous shooting…
Stuck to your “If they only wore safety belt” mantra it suits your critical ANALysis skills better.
Female officers are more likely to have fatal incidents them men officers. It’s genetics. More training is needed. Case and point.
Wrong sir , the family asked for help and they said he was going to be violent… they stopped the threat …
“Female officers are more likely to have fatal incidents them men officers. It’s genetics. More training is needed. Case and point.”
^^Nothing here made sense.^^ Do you have anything to back up your claim that female officers are more likely to have fatal incidents than men officers? It’s genetics? Gender and genetics have little relation to each other in this context. “Case and point” (or correctly, “case in point”) requires a case to point at. Also; “If you are going to use idioms, you had better be sure to get them right. Botching a common expression is a surefire way to lose credibility.. One phrase, in particular, is often misused: case in point. Or is it case and point? Read on to learn the truth.” https://tinyurl.com/yx9utens “Case and point is a misspelling of the expression case in point. It is considered a spelling error.”
More brilliance from Trauma! If Trauma feels this way, the police are definitely justified!
@ TraumaRx
Since all police academies throughout California are governed by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, every police academy in the state of California is required to teach and every student who attends is required to pass the exact same learning domains.
There are no male and female academies. Every academy in California is coeducation. So if both males and females receive the exact same training you’re stating unequivocally that female officers are not capable of being police officers even though they were provided with the exact same training as their male counterpart. For a female officer to reach the same level of competency as the male officers they need additional training above and beyond what male officers receive.
In other words, you believe females are inferior to males. That is a sexist comment and a total lie.
According to the FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program male officers are far more likely to be assaulted and kill than females officers. Male officers are also far more likely to be involved in deadly force incidents as well.
Congratulations, your misogynistic colors are on full display.
LE agencies need to stop paying settlements when their officers are in the right. Yes, it saves money in the short run (no expense for the trail), but encourages people like this to hire scumbags like Burris to squeeze money out of the city! They know they’ll get paid even if they’re wrong!
Sacramento just paid out $2 million to the children of that fool who got shot for failing to comply with the cops’ directions. That’s all this bunch wants too. Ka-ching!!!! Let’s hit the jackpot!! Don’t do it, WC.
Burris is probably going to claim that police officers should also be psychologists and able to deal nonviolently with deranged violent people.
That said, perhaps a way could be found to throw a net over out of control people or maybe use a fast acting tranquilizer dart.
Folks in Baltimore are a tad sorry for turning against cops.
Rumor has it Reverend Al Sharpton is flying in for the event.
Attorney John Burris. Nothing else needs to be said.
I stand with WCPD.
I stand with Walnut Creek Police
They had to protect themselves and neighbors from a psychotic mind holding a dangerous weapon he thought was given to him by God and refusing to obey their commands to stop while running at them..
Time to protest John money grubbing Burris!
Oh, brother. Did they watch the video?
Right out of the Burris playbook- “never let a good tragedy go to waste”. I find this man despicable as well as nauseating. I feel bad for the family of the victim as well as the Officers involved but until we have better and more reliable methods of non lethal force, officers will continue to use their weapons to eliminate a threat to the public or themselves and rightfully so. I think a large animal net launcher may have a future for these types of incidents Here is another option called the Bolo wrap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2pVK44KtE.
So many brainless sheep living in Walnut Creek apparently.
Deadly force is to be used as a LAST resort when all other means have failed.
They tried everything in their training within seconds of making contact?
Use logic, not your misplaced pride.
@ Devil:
Gotta love Monday morning quarterbacking! This is obviously coming from someone who’s never been in a dangerous situation like this! Yes, deadly force is saved as a last resort. But that’s also dependent on the situation. They were trying other methods (i.e. bean bag rounds). They were trying to keep a distance from him and talk him down. Only when he charged them did he get shot. The bean bag rounds had no effect on him. They have to protect themselves and keep the threat contained in order to prevent other innocent residents from being injured.
So go ahead and sit back in your easy chair and make determinations (and statements) like that where you’ve had the luxury of time to think about. All the time, brave officers will be out on the street making split second decisions that will determine if they go home to their families that night, or to protect an innocent civilian from being hurt or killed.
I stand behind WVPD.
Sad story for all. Police DO NOT want to use their guns! No officer wants this out come. No officer wants to go home knowing there was a fatal officer involved shooting that resulted in a death. They’ll carry that remembrance rest of their lives. The officers were called for help by the family. The grandmother and mother were threaten and a slider smashed,
The boy was mentally ill and unfortunately didn’t receive mental health services that helped him him. This is reality. The boy is in a better place and the family and community will not have to worry of future violence from this young man.
I stand with the WCPD. They did the right thing.
I stand with the WCPD.They did the right thing
If John Burris is representing, that says it all.
We don’t pay cops to fight fair. We pay them to win.
LEOs are not paid to fight, they are paid to protect and serve.
Its a tough one in my opinion. I’ve watched the video multiple times, and I believe that the suspect was running to get away from the officers, by trying to run past them. With that being said, the information that the officers had prior to making contact with the suspect, was from the suspects family, saying that the suspect was armed and threatening others. If I remember correctly, they used non-lethal force prior to the shooting, but it was not effective. All of that, and add a fairly new officer (I think less than a year on the job, if memory serves) and this is the outcome. It’s a shame for all involved.
I totally stand with the WCPD. They did everything right!
If suspect ran past officers, where was suspect going to go next? You must protect the public as well as the officers. For that reason alone, it was a justified shooting.
Sounds like a ‘suicide by cop’ case.
I thought the same thing when I saw the video.
So, where are we meeting up for the counter-protest, to support WCPD?
This effort is being led in part by a Kaiser spokesperson and a Mental Health worker from Contra Costa County who are apparently friends of the suspect’s family. Kaiser, a company that makes billions, but utterly fails patients with mental illness. The county system is even worse and prioritizes pushing people out the door instead of treatment and in-patient care. Both of these women and 1000% more culpable for the failures of the Miles Hall’s death than any police officer left to pick up the pieces of a broken mental health system.
And don’t forget, the family didn’t just call for help. They literally fled the area and drove away. They left their violent son, in the middle of a psychotic break and thinking he was god, roaming the streets armed with a large, heavy, pointed spear. The callers were terrified. The family was terrified. Officers had a responsibility to get their butts to the scene to ensure Hall didn’t hurt or kill some innocent person. This was the likely scenario had they not intervened. Think about that for a minute. The family, including a grown man and woman who knew how to calm their son down better than anyone on earth – fled. They ran away. They didn’t try and take his weapon or hold him down until cops got there. They took off and as Hall is looking for the next person to confront, the police have only a few seconds to deal with him before taking action. The most talented mental health worker on earth would not have had time to say anything but ” hi, my name is..” before dude impaled them with that ”garden tool” (anyone who has ever worked with a pry bar knows how ludicrous this description is). It’s all on the video the cops released. Watch it.
The people showing up for these rallies are narcissistic and self-righteous. It’s the, I have a college degree and know best mentality. Knowing a neighbor or a family personally doesn’t change the facts of this incident. Ask yourself, had Hall killed your son, wife, or grandparent would you have forgiven the family for running off before the police arrived? Would you forgive the police for not stopping him sooner? Most of these know-it-all’s would have pee’d themselves and fired every bullet they had with a lunatic charging them with a spear.
Fact is there are no good answers in this situation. No one is guilty of anything. The family and Burris are using neighbors to get paid. It’s
what Burris does. His posse always includes the race baiters that paint anyone and everyone they sue as racist. It means more money. And without a shred of evidence, others who also see the worst in their fellow humans follow willingly. Content of your character….nope. If you don’t agree with their version of the facts, you’re a racist. Absurd that seemingly smart people are so gullible to be used as backdrops for the Burris money grab.
Well said!! 👍
Thank you for your well-reasoned and well-informed post.
I spy Burris to be the racist… sorry…not sorry
100% agree.
So… Unless there is “News at Eleven” or fresh print in the morning; it seems not even the local media even cared…
I believe WCPD did the only thing they could, given the circumstances.
The cops did exactly what their training told them to do. If you attack a cop, expect to be shot. Case closed.
Exactly. I have often thought a required high school class should be, instruction on how to behave around police officers. Especially in at risk populations. Common sense just isn’t common.
Yes, I know Miles Hall was considered to be mentally ill. All the more reason to send EMTs or a team loaded with tranquilizers. This was not a police matter. The man was clearly distressed and incapable of reason. Like a charging dangerous animal.
The police did what was necessary. I stand with WCPD.
This is crazy. I would like to have a anti protest. Let’s stand with WCPD and show them our support so they take it to trial and we citizens can be on the jury to say no way. You get nothing..
Good job WCPD we know it’s not easy
This is sim
Burris’s, I understand that attorney’s need to provide the best defense it can for their client. However you as an attorney preying on the emotions of a family that lost their loved one after he
1. threatened his family with a lethal weapon,
2. destroyed private property with a lethal weapon,
3. ran around the neighborhood putting the public at risk with a lethal weapon,
4. failing to obey multiple orders by police officers to put down said lethal weapon,
5. attempted to run around a police containment zone with a lethal weapon, 6. was tased by police and continued to try and run around the police containment zone with a lethal weapon
7. Almost breached the containment zone while police were retreating while he continued to run towards them with a lethal weapon
8. Came within 20 yards (60 feet just over the width of a garage) of multiple officers with their guns drawn with a lethal weapon
9. Continued to be a threat to officers and the public while trying to run around the officers with a lethal weapon
I hope the state bar looks at this and disbars you from ever practicing law again. Hopefully another lawyer will give the family time to heal and step in and bring a lawsuit on behalf of the family naming you as dependent for the pain and suffering you have caused to the family of the victim and the officers who were only doing their job of “protect and serve”.
I stand with WCPD.
G.d d.mn, Burris is such a POS.
How many of these “friends and supporters” actually knew the kid? Yeah he had mental issues but running at a cop with a long metal bar is reason plenty. I watched the video.
I hope WCPD does NOT lie down, roll over and settle with Burris. Take him to court and make him lose, ugh! He’s such a POS!!
You use bean bags for crowd control, they should have tased the guy from the start. It was a rediculous plan of attack and was negligent. Shooting bean bags at someone who was in a range isn’t going to do anything but provoke and skipping to fire arms almost guarentees a fatal out come not to mention has a higher propensity for causing collateral damage. Hell they would have been better off and more successful at diffusing the situation with a fire hose.
@ Ken
Wrong! They are not only designed for crowd control as you say, they are also designed for this exact situation. Never been hit with one of those bean bags have you? They’re not your typical hackie sack! While not lethal, they will cause significant damage (and pain). A taser would not have reached the distance he was at when the bean bag gun was deployed.
I would suggest you take part in one of the local citizen police academy so you can go through the use of force scenarios. I guarantee your opinion would change!
Burris does not have a good reputation with the law profession. Missed deadlines, not particularly careful with the law.
My favorite Burris story is a press conference he held with his beaten client. Named a Berkeley cop as responsible . There were two problems: His client got the injuries while murdering someone and the cop was in Hawaii . I think Burris paid the cop a heathy sum.
Burris just loves seeing his name in the paper and his face on T.V. He is totally anti law enforcement. Almost like an ambulance chasing lawyer..
Let the circus begin.
Salty OUT!
they did not exhaust all possible options, they neglected to use lethal force with a taser. The individual had a metal object, not a gun, rifle, rocket launcher, or whatever… just a pipe… you could of zapped him and let him get the help he needed. (drops mic)
“ Lethal force with a taser” huh?
Fact is tasers frequently don’t work. If that fails the cop could be dead
In about one second.
There are people that take opposite sides of arguments and then there are a couple postershere that seek attention by writing silly off the wall stuff. Nurse comes to mind.
If you do not want any law enforcement agencies help then stop calling them. WCPD did what was required. Family called police then they turn on WCPD and sue. Really! This takes its toll on law enforcement folks and no one seems to care about them. This is a sue happy society. The police and medical agencies should have the right to refuse service as this is a perfect example of when they come to people’s aid they are turned into the enemy. Maybe if the grandson, son had hurt his family then the family would have still sued the WCPD. Law enforcement cannot win yet they put their lives in danger daily for the public’s sake.
Wow I cant believe a comment like that was posted.
As a side note. Before judging the officers maybe you should put yourself in their shoes for 1 day and see the things they deal with and the life or death decisions they are forced to make in a split second.
Well said Sammy..
How pathetic that just from the headline I KNEW I’d see the name JOHN BURRIS. This man is pure evil, a true POS…perversely hilarious that local news stations constantly have him on as a “legal expert” when any race-baiting “bad white cops” stories pops up.
It was a good shooting, not a great one. Unfortunately necessary given the circumstances, a shame for Miles and his family.
108RS
The John Burris Retirement Fund must be well into the millions by now. John is 74 years old. I think he needs to tap his fund and retire. Give us all a break
Pony
He makes that with one case. We’ll have to do better!
He looks like he is ready to fall asleep between sentences. Needs to retire ASAP.
It’s unfortunate that folks with mental health issues don’t get the proper care needed. Family’s are not qualified or know how to best care for their loved ones. Mental Health is one of the hardest illnesses to deal with. The person suffering thinks they are fine & everyone around them doesn’t know what they are talking about. Even the medications are a trial & error per individual & can cause someone to take their life. I’m sure the family felt they needed help & thought the police would be able to do something, but would have never believed he would be killed. It had happened before and he was taken to County Mental Health. If he had been kept longer maybe the outcome would have been better. Police did not share video from all the officers. They also had taser which wasn’t used. We are only seeing & hearing what they are choosing to share. My verdict is undecided based on this information. It would is a difficult situation and sorry this was the outcome. Maybe if we invested more in mental health these people & their families could have better outcomes. A person not in their right mind can be extremely violent & it’s very scary, which is why police were called as last resort. Unfortunate it ended this way.
Can someone get Burris’s address so I can protest at his house?