#marcus meade

The family of Marcus Meade, who was shot and killed by police on Christmas Eve while thought to be having a mental health crisis, have said officers showed “no mercy for him”, as they called for “full accountability” of those involved. Meade, 39, was killed while alone in his home in Redditch on 24 December after a five-hour standoff with West Mercia police officers, and was allegedly in possession of a knife. His family said Meade’s mental health had deteriorated in recent years, and he had a history of self-harm. They said he often suffered a mental health crisis around Christmas time and he had had previous contact with the police because of this. “They had no mercy for the kid,” said his father, Anthony Meade. “They knew of him; he was familiar to them. They’ve dealt with him before. But they don’t normally send people with guns to him. “Why didn’t the police call someone who knew how to deal with mental health problems? Why would they send armed police officers? Why would they decide to use a bullet for someone who’s got a mental health problem?” They said Meade, a father of two, had become “tormented” after he apprehended a man who killed a 16-year-old girl in a random attack while she was sunbathing in Birmingham city centre in 2001, for which he won an award for bravery. “He caught the killer and they made him a hero, but they didn’t help him with the problems of seeing this girl die,” said his father. “That tormented his mind, and he kind of stopped trusting people. He just lost faith in everyone.