By Alex Emslie and Rachael Bale, KQED News
Often it starts with a call for help. A family member, a caretaker or even a stranger dials 911 seeking paramedics to treat someone in a psychiatric crisis. But when there is a threat of violence, the first responders are usually police, and what started as a call for help can quickly turn deadly for a person with a treatable illness.
That’s what happened when Christine Goias called 911 seeking help for her son, 34-year-old Errol Chang, who was in the midst of a schizophrenic breakdown at his father’s Pacifica home in March.
“He has paranoia and he’s thinking people are wanting to assassinate him, and now he doesn’t trust anyone,” Goias told the dispatcher.
Read the complete story at KQED News Fix.
