Michelle Cusseaux was a 50-year-old woman living in Phoenix, Arizona. Michelle suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. On the afternoon of August 14, 2014, after a cab she had called failed to arrive, Michelle called the behavioral health provider Southwest Network for assistance. A manager at Southwest Network found Michelle’s comments to be threatening and called the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). Michelle refused to let four PPD officers into her apartment upon their arrival. When the police began attempting to remove the security door to her apartment, Michelle opened it, holding a hammer. A white police sergeant shot Michelle at point-blank range in the chest, killing her. An internal review by the PPD found the sergeant’s actions had violated department policy but only demoted him to the rank of officer.

Michelle Cusseaux’s tragic murder has provided more fuel for mental health activists who are fighting to ensure that mental illness is not a crime punishable by death.