“Am I going to have to let him go? Am I going to have to use deadly force?”
Those were the questions Roanoke Rapids Police Officer Jamie Hardy was debating in his mind as he engaged with a suicidal man in late July.
David Bundy, 39, had called 911 to report that he wanted to hurt himself. He said he had smoked marijuana and was hearing voices. He also admitted to not taking some of his medication.
When Hardy arrived at Bundy’s home, Hardy’s body cam footage shows a distraught Bundy reach for something in his pocket.
“Stop, stop, stop. Calm down. Everything is OK. What is it? Is it a gun?” asks Hardy.
When Bundy confirms he has a knife and refuses to hand it over, he says he is going to cut himself.
“No, we don’t want to do that, man. You don’t want to do that,” Hardy says, clasping Bundy’s arm.
As Bundy and Hardy struggle with each other, Hardy calmly asks Bundy a series of questions about his birthday, age and medication.
“Listen, I’ve got a little kid at home, OK? And I want to go home to him, and I don’t want nothing bad to happen to you. That’s why I’m here,” says Hardy.
When Bundy refuses to let go of the knife, Hardy subdues him and throws the knife out of reach.
Police Chief Chuck Hasty told The Daily Herald that Hardy handled the incident with proficiency.
“This is a textbook case of using de-escalation skills. He made it personal,” he said. “I’m very proud of Jamie.
In an emotional reunion Thursday, Bundy apologized while Hardy consoled him and his mother Joan.
“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today. He saved my life,” said Bundy to WRAL.
Comments