She knew her son was dead when she heard the gunshots. At least four staccato pops in a matter of seconds. Four bullets fired in the same amount of time needed to open a bottle of soda or to steal a kiss.
“I told [the police] that my son was mentally ill, I tell them that every time I call,” said Lynn Eagle Feather. “I just asked for help. Instead they killed my son.”
Her son, Paul Castaway, was a Rosebud Sioux tribal citizen who had battled mental illness, drugs and alcohol for years. He had a criminal record — including felony weapon possession, assault and DUI — and served time. In the past, Eagle Feather could talk him down when he was in crisis; before, when the police were called for help, he was peaceful. This time was different.
“He pulled out a knife and he tried to scare me. I know he was just trying to scare me with it,” she said. “He was hitting himself on the head and he was like in a psychotic mode. I had never saw him like that before and I was scared.”
[For more of this story, written by Tristan Ahtone, go to http://america.aljazeera.com/a...native-american.html]
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