On July 7 in McLean, Virginia, Jasper Aaron Lynch, a trans man, was brutally murdered by police during a health and wellness check. Lynch, who was 26, had asked for both wellness checks. When police arrived, Lynch was standing outside, holding a wine bottle and a wooden mask, which he threw at the officers. After attempting to tase the unwell Lynch, Edward George shot Aaron four times. He was pronounced dead on site.
The officers involved in this incident have been placed on restricted duty, and the case is currently under investigation.
Aaron’s parents, Kathy and Patrick Lynch, state, “Our son, Aaron, was experiencing a severe mental health crisis on July 7. He was scared and asked for both of the 911 calls that were made that day. We believe that the three police officers who answered the second 911 call could have, and should have, handled this far differently. To respond to Aaron’s mental health crisis by shooting him at all, let alone multiple times, cannot be justified. We recognize that, at times, police officers face grave and unknown dangers in the line of duty, but that was not the case for that call at our home regarding our son.”
This highlights a major issue with police and how they respond to both mental health crises and trans and gender-nonconforming people. Aaron is one of 600 people killed by police, and one of 26 confirmed transgender people to have lost their lives, this year, with many more cases being misreported or not documented at all.
In a press release, HRC director, Tori Cooper, says, “Aaron’s death is a tragic result of our system’s ineffectiveness in caring for people who are struggling mentally and emotionally. People, especially those of multiple marginalized identities, suffer every day as a result. His life did not have to end like this. We demand more focus and funding on mental health care in our country, including the addition of mental health counselors to respond to certain critical situations. No family should have to bear this pain.”
Photo courtesy of Legacy.com
