Recent deputy-involved shootings bring mental health to the forefront

In the last three months, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has had four deputy-involved shootings. One of them even led to loss of one of their own, Sgt. Elio Diaz.

“It hit us hard,” said Sheriff Bill Prummell in an interview with WINK News. “You know, we’ll heal over time, but we’ll never forget, and his family is always going to be our family.”

Diaz was shot with a rifle during a traffic stop at the Chevron gas station near Sunseeker Resort.

Deputies quickly found Diaz’ killer at the Popeyes on Kings Highway. CCSO said the shooter then reached for his rifle again, leading deputies to open fire, ending his life.

• RELATED: Funeral procession held for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz
• RELATED: Charlotte Sheriff comments on shooters mental health following the murder of Sergeant Diaz

Now, just a little over a month after the tragic day, the department has been through two more deputy-involved shootings.

Thursday night, CCSO responded to a deputy-involved shooting on Eager Road in Charlotte County where Michael Lewis Schwartz was waving a gun in the air, firing it and yelling.

According to CCSO, when deputies got to the scene, Schwartz was scene sitting on his front porch. He stood up, aimed the gun at deputies and two of them fired, killing Schwartz.

The deputies weren’t hurt, but placed on administrative leave.

• RELATED: Man killed in deputy-involved shooting; Charlotte deputies say he pointed gun at them

Just over 24 hours later, the department was involved in another deputy-involved shooting. This time, in Englewood, where a neighbor called 911 saying Sean Austin Ravert had been acting erratically.

According to CCSO, deputies went to the scene and found Ravert at his home carrying a machete and moving aggressively towards them. Deputies told Ravert multiple times to put down the weapon, but according to CCSO, he ignored them and continued being aggressive.

Two deputies shot and killed Ravert. The deputies weren’t hurt, but they were again placed on administrative leave. 

• RELATED: Charlotte County deputies fatally shoot man in Englewood, investigation ongoing

Both of these incidents come within three months of another deputy-involved shooting in October which led to the death of Elroy Clarke after deputies used Tasers, pepper spray, batons and bean bag rounds to attempt to take him into custody.

Clarke eventually charged at the deputies, leading them to shoot and kill him. Those deputies were also placed on administrative leave.

• RELATED: Charlotte County releases body-cam footage of fatal deputy-involved shooting

“The protocol is to put them on administrative leave, and we do that right after the shooting,” explained Sheriff Prummell in an interview with WINK News. “But as soon as our psychologist says that they’re good, that they’re mentally sound, even though the investigation is not complete, we bring them back in and put them on administrative duties.”

That’s because Prummell wants those deputies to know that they are family, and he cares about them. 

“They’re back in with the agency,” said Prummell. “They’re back in with their colleagues, with their family, instead of sitting at home wondering what’s going on and becoming isolated because that wears on you, and that could be mentally draining on you as well.”

WINK News reporter Amy Galo spoke with WINK News safety and security specialist Kristen Ziman, who provided some insight into the situation.

Ziman is a retired police chief with 30 years of law enforcement experience.

“As the chief in a department that had a mass shooting where five of my officers were shot,” shared Ziman, “I had half of those officers who experienced that trauma that said, ‘I want to come right back to work because I’m going crazy sitting at home,’ while others would prefer to stay home and process.”

After deputy-involved shootings, Ziman said placing a focus on mental health is key.

“Taking a life, even when justified, leaves lasting scars,” said Ziman. “So many officers experience post-traumatic stress, guilt and moral injury, and often having to relive these moments for years to come, for the rest of their career, for the rest of their lives.”

On top of that, there is a stigma around mental health in law enforcement. One that’s been around for many years.

“We’ve often been told many times, even by those in our organizations, by our chiefs, by our superiors, that if you can’t handle it, then you should get out of the profession,” said Ziman. “Gone are those days, and we have the statistics and the data to prove it, because the dirty little secret is there is a high percentage of officers who take their own lives because some of these incidents are just too traumatic for them to carry.”

This is why actions like Prummell’s show of support for deputies placed on administrative leave carry weight.

“What we need to really focus on here is the need for support for the officers departments, and it sounds like the sheriff is doing that,” said Ziman. ” We must prioritize the mental health of their officers by offering access to counseling, to peer support programs and resources to help them process the trauma of these critical incidents.”

Simply put: “The first step is to create a culture within the organization where officers can feel okay to say they are not okay,” said Ziman.