Police kill trans man in midst of Asperger's meltdown
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story identified the victim as a woman.
MESA, Ariz. — Officers here killed a transgender man who gained attention in the summer after he posted a video of himself suffering an Asperger's meltdown.
Mesa police identified the victim as Danielle Jacobs, his legal name, but friends said they knew him as Kayden Clarke. Clarke had hoped to transition from female to male, chronicling his journey on YouTube, but had said he faced numerous obstacles because of his autism-spectrum disorder.
The 24-year-old was armed with a knife and charged at two officers Thursday who responded to a call about a suicidal person at a home, Mesa police said. Both officers were very near Clarke and fired at him.
Those who knew Clarke said the combination of trying to transition to a man, Asperger's and other health issues weighed on him.
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"He was frustrated that no matter what therapist he saw no one understood and (everybody) neglected his desire for health and happiness," Kae Glenn of Phoenix, a transgender man and Clarke's friend, wrote in a Facebook message.
At a news conference Friday a Mesa police spokesman, Detective Esteban Flores, said the department had an officer trained in crisis intervention at the scene, but officers had no information about Clarke's condition when they arrived at the house. Officers did have stun guns but did not have other less-lethal options with them.
They also did not have body cameras to record the confrontation, which escalated quickly, Flores said. All Mesa officers are expected to have body cameras within 18 months.
The shooting occurred at about 1 p.m. ET Thursday in a neighborhood with a mix of families and retirees, Flores said. The officer trained in crisis intervention went into the house with two other officers.
One without training left the house to get another less-than-lethal weapon, but Clarke, holding a chef's knife with an 8-inch blade, lunged at the two remaining officers.
He was taken to taken to a hospital but did not survive his injuries.
Flores would not say how many times the victim had been shot. Police previously had encountered him in a similar call.
In a one-minute clip on YouTube published June 1, Clarke was shown sobbing and hitting himself repeatedly in the chest and head. His 4-year-old service dog, Samson, comforted him and can be seen moving his hands away from his body so he stops harming himself.
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Eventually, Clarke sinks down on the floor as Samson cuddles up against him, and the meltdown passes.
"This is what having Asperger's is like," Clarke wrote in the video's description. "This really happened, and it's not easy to open myself and share what it's like on a daily basis."
The video had more than 2.5 million views and nearly 1,500 comments, many that thanked Clarke for his courage and attempt to raise awareness of the challenges of living with Asperger's syndrome. Others took to Twitter to praise him.
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Outreach Manager Erin Denmark at Helping Animals Live On Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter here, said Clarke adopted his service dog, Sampson, from HALO in May 2013. He trained the Rottweiler on his own to assist with his needs.
“We tried to help mentor (him) and help (him), and so it is very tragic what has happened today," Denmark said late Thursday. "(He’s) a former volunteer with us but a friend of HALO."
HALO kept in touch with Clarke and, at one point gave him a job in one of its three shelters, Denmark said.
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Heather Allen, Halo Rescue's chief executive, said the organization has attempted to reach out to Clarke's family.
"We hope to find a home for Sampson where his extensive training can benefit someone else . ... and are hoping to ensure Sampson is cared for," Allen said in a Facebook message.
Clarke also left a wealth of other videos on YouTube.
Contributing: Kayla S. Samoy, The Arizona Republic. Follow Lindsey Collom and Christopher Silavong on Twitter: @LindseyCollom and @CKsilavong
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