Georgia police save suicidal father in dramatic bodycam footage: ‘Drop the knife…your son needs you’
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A Georgia police officer called to a home earlier this summer was able to convince a suicidal father to drop the knife he intended to use to end his life, dramatic footage shows.
The Henry County Police Department posted a portion of the 25-minute bodycam footage of the July 28 life-saving incident, edited to protect the distraught man's identity.
"Drop the knife," said the officer, who authorities said recognized the man from a previous interaction, said. "Do you want to see your son?"
WARNING: DISTURBING FOOTAGE
"I'm done...I'm not going to," the father, holding a knife to his chest on the kitchen floor, responded.
"Please think about your son," the officer said, showing a photo on his phone of his 1-year-old boy. "I know how much you love your son...he needs you. Don't do this to him."
He added, "Right now your life's really hard. It can get better and it will but you can't give up."
As soon as he put the knife down the officers rushed to him and transported him to a medical treatment facility.
"You're not under arrest," the officer concluded. "You did the right thing today, OK?"
The police department said Facebook briefly removed the video "likely due to its mention of suicide" after they posted it last week. It was published again soon after.
"We believe this video, though hard to watch, is important to learn from," the department wrote in a post online. "The way our officers communicate with this young man is an example everyone should follow."
The officers are trained in de-escalation techniques and mental health first aid, the department said.