Mother of man killed by Pineville police officer says he suffered from mental illness – WSOC TV

“They didn’t see Dennis as a human being, but as someone who could be thrown away,” she said Monday.

( Police: Accused shoplifter tried to snatch the gun from the sergeant before the police officer shot him )

Pineville police said Cleopatra Bodden’s son was shoplifting on May 14 before he was shot by a police officer. The officer shot him after he allegedly reached for the officer’s gun, police said. Police said Bodden was also shocked with a Taser before being shot.

His mother said Bodden suffered from bipolar disorder in addition to schizophrenia. She believes a mental health team should have intervened rather than the police.

“I’m here to fight for my son’s honor,” Cleopatra said. “I thank everyone on behalf of my son. Dennis’ family loves him and he did not deserve to be murdered by Pineville police officers.”

In a statement, Pineville police said they do not have a mental health unit. They said the two officers who investigated the incident were trained in various de-escalation techniques.

Pineville police also said they had no knowledge of Dennis Bodden’s mental health.

Bodden said her son’s mental illness worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said he had a law degree, which he used to defend people with mental illness before his own illness worsened.

She also claimed that the officers at the scene knew him and should have handled the situation differently. His aunt agreed.

“I want the people of North Carolina and the world to know that Dennis was a wonderful person,” Julia Bodden said Monday. “He did not deserve what happened.”

Julia Bodden said the Pineville police chief called the family to apologize.

The Bodden family and the Charlotte Mecklenburg chapter of the NAACP want all footage of the shooting released and are calling for a new third-party investigation.

Pineville Police issued the following statement Monday in response to the Bodden family’s allegations:

“On Monday, June 3, 2024, the Pineville Police Department attended the Bodden family press conference and we would like to respectfully respond to the following questions our police department received.

1. “The Pineville Police Department was NOT aware of any mental health issues with Mr. Dennis Bodden. He did not reside within the Pineville Police Department’s jurisdiction. We only had one documented contact with Mr. Dennis Bodden on 04/03/2024, after which he was denied entry to this Food Lion. Mr. Dennis Bodden had already left the scene on previous 911 calls to work at this Food Lion.
2. “The officers involved were NOT aware of Mr. Dennis Bodden’s mental illness.
3. “The Pineville Police Department does not have a mental health department. The officer involved and his deputy are both certified by Mecklenburg County as Critical Incident Teams (CIT) and are internally trained in the Integrating Communications Assessments and Tactics (ICAT) program. ICAT is a de-escalation model developed by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
4. “The estimated value of the food stolen from Food Lion on 05/14/2024 was $83.95. This included numerous bottles of wine and fruits and vegetables. Mr. Bodden had two warrants for his arrest for burglary and theft, all of which occurred at this Food Lion.
5. “The Pineville Police Chief contacted the Bodden family and spoke with them on the phone. This phone call was made out of compassion and empathy for the Bodden family. We police officers all have a high level of human decency and want to treat everyone with dignity and respect. This includes family members we have never met before.
6. “Both the officer involved and the deputy officer have been placed on leave pending the completion of the joint parallel (criminal and internal) investigations.
7. “CMPD is conducting the third party criminal investigation into this incident. Pineville Police would always involve an independent criminal investigation agency in situations such as an officer-involved shooting, whether it be CMPD or NCSBI. The decision to use CMPD as the investigative agency was made between Pineville Police and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office.”

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