Published by The Baltimore Sun.
By Jim Cook and Melanie M. Lundquist, board members of Maryland disability services and advocacy organizations Melwood and Humanim.
On March 1, 25-year-old Alexander LaMorie called 911 to request a wellness check for himself. Alex was a resident of Patuxent Commons, a Columbia housing community designed to support people with disabilities and seniors. He was in the midst of a terrifying mental health crisis and reached out for a lifeline because he was threatening to harm himself. Instead, the encounter ended tragically, with Alex being fatally shot during an interaction with law enforcement.
As members of the Howard County community, we are deeply shaken. Alex was a son, a neighbor, and a person who dedicated time to advocate for others with autism even as he managed his own challenges. As board members of Melwood and Humanim, organizations dedicated to the empowerment of people with disabilities, this tragedy reinforces a painful reality: Even in a community with a strong safety net, a deadly gap in our crisis response remains.
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