Mich. Police Save Upset Armed Teen: 'I Don't Want You to Die'
By: In a scene that was caught on video, a Michigan police officer used his training to talk to and save a distressed teen armed with a gun last week.
The incident happened July 12 when Warren police received a 9-1-1 call concerning a young man who was seen holding a gun to his head, WXYZ-TV reports. When Officers Chad Rossow and Charles Cobble reached the scene, they found the armed teenager with his finger on the trigger of his firearm.
Body camera footage captured the 90-second interaction with Rossow and the teen, as the officer talks to him calmly and tries to reassure him.
"I just want to die," the tearful teen is heard telling Rossow.
"I don't want you to die," the officer replies. "You got a family? You got a mom? You got a brother or sister? What do you think they're going to feel?"
In the footage, Rossow continues telling the teen that they will get him help, and the teen confides that he had told a mental health facility he wasn't ready to leave. The teen finally dropped his gun, and Rossow put his hands on the teen's shoulders while his colleagues secured the weapon.
"You made the right choice today. You made the right choice," Rossow is heard saying.
The teen's parents were able to meet up with their son and the officers at a local hospital. They were grateful for the police's assistance in the matter.
"We do get accelerated training, so we're lucky enough to be able to handle these situations the way we do, even with the influx of calls," Rossow said.
"We were more than happy that we were able to help," he added.