LAKEWOOD, Colo — Family members of a man who was shot and killed by an officer with the Lakewood Police Department (LPD) Thursday night said he was having a mental health crisis, but wasn't violent.
"He wasn't a violent person, he was just troubled you know but they did not have to kill him," said Heather Lopez, the sister of Jason Waterhouse.
Waterhouse died following a standoff with officers on Thursday that began around 3 p.m. when officers responded to a criminal mischief incident at a duplex in the 2400 block of Youngfield Street, according to LPD.
"The initial call came in from a family member that there was a member of the family acting erratic and destroying things inside the home," said John Romero a spokesperson with LPD.
Lopez said she was the family member that called.
“That morning it started he was hearing voices and stuff, so he barricaded himself and was scared under the stairs, crying and asking for help,” Lopez said. “Right off the top, I said it’s mental health, he’s not a threat, something is obviously wrong, he thinks people are going to hurt him."
Officers tried to contact Waterhouse for several hours, but he wouldn't come out. Then officers said they spotted fire and smoke coming from the home.
Due to safety concerns related to the fire, officers entered the home and said the suspect was armed with a weapon and began to advance toward them.
"They did confront the suspect who had a weapon on him," Romero said. "Non-lethal was tried and was unsuccessful in stopping the suspect."
That's when an officer fired at him, according to Romero. Waterhouse was hit and taken to the hospital where he later died.
Lopez said she now regrets calling for help.
"I regret it because I feel like my brother's death is on my hands… like literally," she said. "I just wanted him home for the holidays so our family could just … and now my brother is gone."
While family members said Waterhouse wasn't violent, he was out on bond following an earlier arrest for an assault on a police officer and was set to go to trial in that case in March.
Ten officers were treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the fire during Thursday's incident. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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