Illinois Police Shoot Teen With Asperger's

15-year-old Stephon Watts was shot by police on Wednesday and later pronounced dead. Stephon was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of nine. According to the Chicago Tribune, Calumet City police had been summoned ten times to his family’s residence in less than two years, to “subdue” the teenager using tasers.

The Chicago Tribune gives this account.

On Wednesday, officers were called again to the teen’s home, where two officers found Watts in his basement wielding a kitchen knife. Watts “lashed out” with the knife and struck one of the officers in the forearm, said police Chief Edward Gilmore.

“At that time, cornered and having no way to retreat back up the stairs, the officers fired one shot each, striking the (boy) twice,” Gilmore said. “Unfortunately, the officer thought that his life was in jeopardy.”

Watts’s parents questioned the police for firing at their son, as they had not previously done so. Danelene Powell-Watts said “They didn’t have to murder him. This is nothing but murder.” Watts’s father, Steven Watts, witnessed the police shooting at his son and asked:

“They’re trained to disarm people. Why did they have to use deadly force on a 15-year-old autistic kid?”

While Steven Watts said that his son was shot in the leg and then, on moving, shot in the head, Gilmore says that he was “not being told” about this and was waiting for the coroner’s report.

Police Didn’t Have to Fire at Stephon

On Wednesday morning, Stephon said that he did not want to go to school; his father took away his computer and put it in the basement of their home. The teen reportedly “tussled” with his father, who followed instructions that doctors and social workers had given the family to contact police when their son became agitated. These instructions were why police had made a number of previous visits to the Watts’ house; their address was “flagged” in the police’s system as a residence having “an autistic young man there who is very strong and likes to fight with the police,” says Gilmore. Indeed, all 84 Calumet City police officers had undergone training about dealing with autistic individuals and the lead officer who responded to the call had been at the Watts’s home before.

On previous calls, Watts had wielded knives, once barricading himself in a bathroom until a police negotiator intervened. Another time, after hitting his mother in the face, Watts had fled his house with a knife and was subdued by police using a taser.

I mention these details because the police had a record of dealing with Stephon Watts and they will need to explain why they fired this time and used excessive force, with fatal results.

Furthermore, the fact that Watts’s family had been told that they were to call the police when Stephon became agitated reveals how inadequate social services for autistic teenagers and teenagers with Asperger’s are. I know this because my son Charlie is just about the same age as Stephon and just as tall. When Charlie is agitated, things can be very difficult, largely due to the fact that he has very limited verbal and communication abilities to tell us what is bothering him, and also few outlets for letting out frustations and anger.

The record of the Watts’s previous calls to the police should have been a red flag that the family needed many more supports for Stephon. Calling the police should only be a last resort in crisis situations. Stephon’s tragic death should be a wake-up call to the dire need for more community-based supports and services for individuals with disabilities.

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Read more: aspergers, autism, disability, pdd-nos, police

Photo by adamsguns via Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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AnnMarie S.

2:11PM PDT on Mar 16, 2012

And a word of advise for other parent of children with special needs be active in the community make sure everyone knows about your childs needs and frequent the fire dept and police station.

send a green star

2:09PM PDT on Mar 16, 2012

I've always been quick to side with the police but being the mother of an autistic 16 yr old boy my heart bleeds for these parents those officers need to be charged for this horrible crime

Christina B.

7:19AM PST on Feb 27, 2012

Ι am at a loss for words here. What a tragic story, I can't even imagine what the parents are going through right now.

Debbie C.

6:35AM PST on Feb 27, 2012

I don't think Stephon should have been shot, but what's the deal with the doctors and social workers telling the family to contact police when their son became agitated.
If this boy did not want to go to school, and the parents had to go to work, what - they called the police to babysit the boy? I would have called the social worker and let her calm him down.
I don't think we are getting the whole story!!!

Cynthia N.

10:58PM PST on Feb 19, 2012

This is incredibly sad. It's also pretty scary that police too often rely on deadly force in a situation that could have been handled differently. I feel terrible for this family and what they are going through right now.

Edith E.

5:50AM PST on Feb 19, 2012

SOCIAL SERVICES should be investigated for giving such advice to parents of a special needs young adult. There's just no excuse for taking this young mans life, however, you see and hear of it everyday. My condolences to his parents...I'm so sorry this should happen in a country that appears to be still in the dark ages. Of course, nothing will happen to the officers...social services will go on as they always have...it's a daily script that seems to keep re-writing itself in this country.

Gene S.

7:31AM PST on Feb 12, 2012

While many factors come into play here - there was no need for the situation to escalate to the point of having to shoot to kill - especially if there was prior knowledge of the boy’s history. The cops had no excuse for killing this boy - much less putting themselves in a position where killing him would have even been a consideration. Cops have the power to do almost anything they want - but it is very obvious that in many cases they don’t have the common sense - control - or training to be put a position where the possibility of having to determine whether an individual lives or dies may come into play - - -

Ann S.

3:55PM PST on Feb 11, 2012

So, how did this kid get hold of a kitchen knife as he evidently has a history of being a threat; where is the supervision of this child? The parents have had to call in the police 10 times in two years to "subdue" their son? Why do the parents keep getting into situations where their son needs to be subdued by authorities? Where is their child learning such dangerous and threatening behaviors? I think the parents should also be questioned here.

Isabel R.

4:44PM PST on Feb 9, 2012

Killing the boy was unnecessary.

MEGAN N.

5:09PM PST on Feb 7, 2012

There are times when the parents or care takers are inadequate or not up to the task of raising a special needs child and there are times when that special needs child's behavior is simply too much for the parents. This was a child who had clearly reached a point where he was to much for his parents and had seemingly become a danger to himself and others.

I will say this once and then never again because it violated on of my most sacred beliefs as the parent of a child on the autism spectrum. There needs to be better support system in place for parents of special needs children. But if all else fails there needs to be a save and well staffed in patient facility where children can get short term or if necessary long term intensive care.