Salt Lake City Police Shoot 13-Year-Old Boy with Asperger’s
Linden Cameron, a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, was shot by a Salt Lake City police officer near his home on Friday, September 4.
Photo from a GoFundMe page set up for Cameron’s family.
On September 4, a Salt Lake City police officer shot a 13-year-old boy named Linden Cameron, who has Asperger’s syndrome. Almost two weeks later, the SLC Police Department released the bodycam footage, in which 11 shots can be heard.
According to his mother, Golda Barton, Cameron had experienced a “mental breakdown” that day. In an email to CNN, Barton shared that Cameron was having difficulty coping with her returning to work for the first time in several months.
Barton called the police to request assistance from a crisis intervention team to transport Cameron to a hospital for treatment. She described her 911 call to KUTV: “I said, ‘Look, he’s unarmed, he doesn’t have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He’s a kid, he’s trying to get attention. He doesn’t know how to regulate.’” Barton also informed the officers that law enforcement was a trigger for Cameron.
When the police arrived on site, Cameron ran away, and the officers chased after him. Less than two minutes later, they were shouting at Cameron to “get on the ground,” followed by several gunshots. The officers continued yelling at Cameron as he fell to the ground.
Barton told KUTV that she thought Cameron had been killed by the gunfire, and that the police did not immediately inform her that he was still alive. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries to his shoulder, bladder, intestines and ankles, according to a GoFundMe page set up to cover the family’s expenses. As of last week, Cameron was still hospitalized.
Cameron recovers from several injuries in the hospital.
Photo from a GoFundMe page set up for Cameron’s family.
In her interview with KUTV, Barton expressed shock that the police fired at her son. “He’s a small child,” she said. “Why didn’t you just tackle him?”
At a news conference on the release of the bodycam footage, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said the shooting impacted him personally and the department as a whole.
“We are facing a mental health crisis in this country,” he said. “We want to be partners with those who provide mental health services. As a community, we need to find a way forward. Too often, our officers are called to deal with these difficult problems, which frequently are not criminal in nature.”
Mayor Erin Mendenhall also shared that she felt heartbroken and frustrated at the news conference.“This shooting is another tragedy,” she said. “It’s a tragedy for this young boy, for his mother and for families and individuals with acute mental health needs. I think that our community looks at this situation and sees themselves or their loved ones reflected in it.”
Cameron’s brother, 17-year-old Wesley Barton, said he wants more transparency from the police and for the officer who shot his brother to be fired. “I just hope that people know that my brother deserves justice,” he said. “He’s strong, and I just think a big part of this is my brother was a person and didn’t deserve this. He deserves to get better and recover.”
Mendenhall released a statement promising a “swift” and “transparent” investigation, and the Police Department said it would be carried out by officers not affiliated with the SLCPD, in addition to parallel investigations by the city’s Civilian Review Board, the District Attorney’s office and the police department’s own Internal Affairs.
Protestors gathered outside the Ogden Municipal Building the week after the incident, demanding police reform throughout the state and country for what they call a national problem of police brutality.
Following the police shooting of 13-year-old Linden Cameron, protestors organized a rally against police brutality outside the Ogden Municipal Building on Saturday, September 12.
Photo by Spenser Heaps, Deseret News.
According to a Time article, a reliable national database tracking police shootings of people who have disabilities or who are in the midst of mental health crises does not exist, but studies suggest the number falls between a third to a half of police killings each year.
Neurodiverse Utah, a self-advocacy group led by individuals with autism, spoke out about Cameron’s shooting. “CIT [crisis intervention team] officers should know that autistic people experiencing a meltdown aren’t able to respond to commands, especially if they are experiencing intense anxiety or sensory overload,” read a letter to the editor of The Salt Lake Tribune written by Neurodiverse Utah leaders. “These officers should, without question, be trained to deescalate a neurologically different and vulnerable individual.”
“The Salt Lake City Police Department must hold accountable the officers and chief of police for the shooting of Linden Cameron,” the letter continued. “We demand justice for Linden and his family and for all autistic people, because autistic lives are worthy of a safe and welcoming community. Currently, this isn’t the case.”
Stories like Cameron’s may understandably cause concern among loved ones of individuals with autism about calling the police in emergencies. Across the country, 911 callers can request mental health resources or crisis counselors, and many cities and towns have other alternatives already in place for mental health crises. We encourage families to take some time to look into the resources available in their areas.
Here is a list of national crisis lines:
National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741-741
BlackLine: 800-604-5841
The Trevor Project (LBGT+): 866-488-7386
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
Undocumented and Immigrant Hotline (ENG, SPA, KOR, POR): 855-435-7693
National Youth Crisis Hotline: 800-448-4663
Sexual Assault Hotline (ENG, SPA): 800-223-5001
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800−799−7233 | 800-787-3224 (deaf/hard of hearing TTY)
StrongHearts Native Helpline (domestic and sexual violence): 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483)