On Tuesday, police shot and killed a patient at a psychiatric facility in Uccle. The Uccle/Watermael-Boitsfort/Auderghem police zone received a call around 10 a.m. for assistance in dealing with an aggressive patient whom staff were unable to manage at the Fond’Roy psychiatric institute. The patient, a 49-year-old, reportedly had a bladed weapon. Upon arriving, police had to call for backup due to the agitated state and perceived threat of the individual. During the operation, police officers used their service weapon. The patient was hospitalized under duress, and the organization Epsylon, which oversees the Fond’Roy site, had to call the police to control him during an episode of major unrest, according to Dr. Caroline Depuydt, Epsylon’s deputy general medical director. The patient later died in the hospital as a result of his injuries. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office is investigating the incident.
The police fired this Tuesday on a patient in a psychiatric establishment located in Uccle. He died in hospital as a result of his injuries.
Around 10 a.m., the Uccle/Watermael-Boitsfort/Auderghem police zone was requested to intervene at the Fond’Roy psychiatric institute for a patient described as aggressive and whom the staff might not manage. “According to the first elements of the investigation, the patient in question, aged 49, would have been carrying a bladed weapon.“, communicates the Brussels public prosecutor’s office by way of press release. “A first patrol arrived on the spot and immediately had to call for reinforcements because of the state of agitation and the threat that the individual would have presented. During the course of the operations, the intervening police officers were required to use their service weapon“.
“This man was hospitalized under duress, according to the law of June 26, 1990 relating to the protection of the mentally ill person, and the team had to call the police in the morning to help control him during an episode of major unrest”, also explained Dr Caroline Depuydt, deputy general medical director of the non-profit organization Epsylon, on which the Fond’Roy site depends.
This tragic event raises questions regarding the way psychiatric patients are treated and the use of force by law enforcement in such situations. It is important for authorities and medical professionals to review their protocols and ensure that measures are in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
