HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- The sister of a man with severe mental health problems said she regrets her decision to call 911 when her brother was in crisis, because it ended with him being shot by a sheriff's deputy.
“To live with the fact that I’m the one who had the cops come here, it’s unbearable. It is the most awful feeling in the world, because I thought I was getting my brother help," said Jennifer Hamon. “I just want to be able to see him and tell him how sorry I am, that I should’ve never ever called 911. I shouldn’t have. I should’ve handled the situation on my own.”
On Wednesday Oct. 4, Jennifer said her brother Nate Hamon was exhibiting disturbing behavior. He had just arrived in Hanover County from West Virginia two days prior to visit family, and he was behind on his medication.
Jennifer said Nate lives with multiple mental health conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and that day, he was experiencing a severe episode. She said he was talking to himself, screaming, and hiding in the corner of the room.
“He was talking about dying and that he couldn’t kill himself because he would go to hell, and at that point I know he was thinking crazy stuff, and I was like mom, we’ve got to call," Jennifer said.
“And it was clear to you that he was in crisis?" reporter Tyler Layne asked.
“Oh absolutely," she responded.
So, she and her mother, who were inside the house at the time, made the call to 911.
“The last thing that I said when I talked to the 911 dispatcher is that he just needs help. I need someone to come and help me so I can help him," Jennifer said.
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office said a deputy responded to their home on Shellie Lee Drive for a "domestic disturbance." However, Jennifer said she did not feel threatened by her brother, rather concerned by his behavior.
"I didn't feel like anybody's safety was at risk. Never, not once did I feel like me or my mom were in harm's way," Jennifer said.
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Upon arrival, the sheriff's office said Nate confronted the deputy and had a knife. The deputy shot Nate, firing multiple shots according to Jennifer.
Jennifer, who witnessed the interaction, said she did not see Nate with a knife but added his back was facing toward her at the time. Before the shooting, Jennifer said the deputy tried using a taser on Nate, but it was ineffective.
She said the whole encounter happened in a flash after the deputy got there.
“He immediately got out of the car, and it was within 10 seconds that Nate was shot," Jennifer said. “I even think that if that cop would have just gave me five minutes of his time to explain to him what my brother was feeling and going through, that wouldn't have happened. But I didn't get that chance, because they both just got up and started. It was immediate.”
Jennifer said she questioned whether de-escalation strategies would've prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
"If somebody would have came and just said, 'Can I talk to you, Nate? Can we sit down and talk about what's going on, why you're feeling the way that you're feeling?' I think it would have ended differently," Jennifer said.
She continued, “The last image I have of my brother is laying in my driveway bleeding out everywhere. It’s just an awful situation, and things should have been handled differently. I don’t want to put blame on anybody or pretend my brother was perfect in any way, but he was sick. He was very sick and needed help, and he didn’t get it.”
CBS 6 reached out to the Hanover County Sheriff's Office with multiple questions about the domestic disturbance and what led up to the shooting.
Sgt. Steven Wills said the agency is not yet releasing further information at this time, but he added possible charges against Nate Hamon could be forthcoming.
Jennifer said Nate was known to law enforcement in West Virginia and deputies were aware of his mental health conditions. His criminal background there showed multiple previous charges dating back to 2015 including obstructing an officer and domestic battery.
At last check, family members said Nate remains at VCU Medical Center in critical condition.
“I’ll never forget when I saw that day, and I hope one day that people like my brother are treated fairly and can get the help that they need without things escalating the way that it did," Jennifer said.
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