Patrick L. Warren

Date: 1/10/21              Location: Killeen, TX             FACTORS (1,4,5,12,14,19)  

Name: Patrick Lynn Warren                          

Criminal History/Involved: Yes, Warren’s criminal history extends from 1989-2011 and includes convictions for possession of a dangerous drug, failure to identify as a fugitive, aggravated assault, and assault on a family member./No, it was a psychotic episode.

Mental Illness: Yes, Warren was “emotionally distressed”. Warren was taken to the hospital by police the previous day for a “mental health crisis”.

Race/Sex/Age: Black/Male/52

Officer(s) involved: Killeen Police Officer Reynaldo Contreras                                                     

What prompted the initial contact with police? On January 10, 2021 at approximately 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call of a psychiatric episode at a house in Killeen where Patrick Warren was “acting aggressive”.

Actions taken by subject towards police: Upon entering the house, Officer Contreras was confronted by Patrick Warren who appeared emotionally disturbed.

Reactions by the police: Fearing for his safety, Office Contreras retreated from the house to gain distance from the aggressive Warren. When Warren aggressively followed the officer outside, Contreras deployed his taser.  After the taser and verbal commands proved ineffective in stopping Warren’s violent sprint towards him, Officer Contreras fatally shot him.

Outcome of investigation into the fatal police incident: The incident is being investigated by the Texas Rangers. After reviewing the body-camera video, Killen Police Chief Charles Kimble said “I don’t see where [Contreras] could have done anything differently”.

What could the subject have done that day to still be alive today? Warren should have still been in a mental institution to protect him and the public from him. Warren should have complied with the officer’s lawful orders to stop, and not violently advance towards him.

Miscellaneous: The video released from Officer Contreras’ body camera shows the full story as compared to the short video released by Warren’s family which only served to enrage the public and make it appear as if the officer acted improperly. The short video was effective as evidenced by the $57k already raised on a GoFundMe page for Warren and the 35,000 signatures on Change.org calling for justice for Warren.

Justified Use of Deadly Force?YES. In addition to making multiple attempts to get Warren to stop by saying “please, stop, stop, stop let me see your hands”, he also left the house in order to keep Warren at a safe distance.Within a matter of seconds of arriving at the house, Contreras was placed in reasonable fear for his own safety by Warren - an aggressive, emotionally disturbed man who was not affected by the taser and could only be stopped by deadly force.