The incident resulted in the death of 30-year-old Brian Gillis, who had a documented mental health history. Family and neighbors reported he appeared disassociated from reality during the event.
 
Overnight, Gillis set fire to the exterior wall of a neighbor’s home. At 6:20 a.m., Gillis told his neighbor he had committed an arson. One of Gillis’ family members called police, requesting Gillis be held for a mental health evaluation. A JSO officer and a partnered mental health clinician arrived, and spoke with Gillis’ family and neighbors. The officer learned Gillis left the home soon after he arrived.
 
Officers announced on police radio to be on the lookout for Gillis and shared all known information about him, including the arson. At 9:19 a.m., Officer Bumgarner saw Gillis running along East 25th Street near Buckman Street. The officer armed himself with his conducted energy weapon (CEW) or Taser, and yelled at Gillis to stop. Gillis was holding a large knife and turned to the officer, yelling at him to back off. Gillis then turned to run in a residential area with the knife still in his hand. Officer Bumgarner dropped his Taser, pulled out his JSO-issued handgun and yelled at Gillis to drop the knife. Gillis did not comply, and the officer fired his gun, striking Gillis. Gillis fell onto the sidewalk, still holding the knife. Other officers arrived on scene and were able to remove the knife from Gillis’ hand before rendering medical aid.

The State Attorney’s Office will independently review the incident to assess the legality of the officer's actions. Once that is complete, JSO will conduct an internal review to ensure the officers acted within policy. Then, a Response to Resistance Board will convene, and the findings will be submitted to the Sheriff for final review. JSO is releasing this in the interest of transparency. Conclusions on the incident remain pending.

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