Maddie Hoffman, who has struggled with mental health diagnoses such as anxiety and depression, and has been on and off medication for years, was on the verge of a mental health crisis by May 19. was doing.
For three weeks, Maddie, 47, has been incessantly tweeting increasingly concerned tweets. Maddie then posted a photo of her firearm. It wasn’t.
A colleague who received an email from Maddie who saw the gun post and prompted concerns that she was contemplating suicide said, called 911 I asked for a health check. The caller informed authorities that Maddie was a transgender woman.
Malvern police arrived at Hoffman’s home on the 800 block of Charleston Green shortly after 11:00 am. Police fatally shot Maddie, who had a gun, during his 57-second dialogue. Months after Maddie’s death, spouse Becky Hoffman is going through a mental health crisis as she is forced to explain the death to her 4-year-old and her 9-year-old sons. I’m wondering what I can do to prevent similar results from happening to someone else.
Pointing to the box containing Maddie’s ashes, Becky Hoffman said, “They belonged in medicine, not on the shelf. ‘They should be here long enough to get better.'”
Maddie told police she was in a “critical situation,” according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.Maddy easily put down a black Glock 19 9mm handgun They had it, but they picked it up and ran into the house when the police approached. Maddie waved her gun at the cop inside with her finger on the trigger and there was a struggle. A policeman shot Maddie three times.
” read more: Malvern police justified in fatally shooting woman brandishing gun, Chester County DA says
In June, the district attorney’s office said the officer was justified in the shooting.
People at a mental health crisis, according to a Washington Post study About a quarter of all deaths from police shootings recent victims. Many of these people came to police attention due to suicidal concerns and requests for medical examinations.
The question of whether police are best equipped to deal with people experiencing mental health crises has led departments in places like Detroit to ask mental health professionals to go out with officers, Cities have come to adopt the so-called co-responder model. As in Philadelphia, another unit is growing a program to respond to calls involving people experiencing mental health crisis.
Chester County, where Malvern is located, is experiencing a mobile crisis. Having the police on a mental health call is a last resort, but that changes when there is a risk of violence. I need to call Valley Creek. A Valley Creek spokesperson could not confirm whether Maddie had been brought to their attention, citing privacy concerns.
” read more: When a mental health crisis requires more than a phone conversation, these mobile units can help
Malvern Mayor Zane Uzman, speaking on behalf of the city council and police, said it was unlikely the police would have done anything different.
“To think that mental health providers assisting law enforcement changed outcomes in situations like this is speculation at best,” writes Uzman, citing the presence of firearms.
Police officers last year took a three-hour course focused on recognizing and responding to people with special needs, including mental health issues, Uzman said. I had to take a course on
“Given the actual circumstances of the incident and that it lasted only 57 seconds, no additional training or change in policy could have prevented this tragic event.
“I understand it’s complicated when guns are involved,” Becky said, but if cops hadn’t taken Maddie home or just opened fire, there would have been a different outcome. I couldn’t help but imagine. one-shot.
Still, Becky doesn’t have much time to think about May 19th.
Working in the technology industry, Maddie was the family’s main source of income. Becky said it’s unclear how she would have paid for the funeral and living expenses if her mother hadn’t lent her family money.have a family GoFundMeTo receive Social Security Survivor Benefits, you had to contact the office of US Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Becky’s life insurance claim was just approved this week after months of back and forth with the borough and insurance companies.
And only police accounts follow — Becky can’t read incident reports or access body camera footage — she I have a hard time explaining what happened to her eldest son.
Nine-year-old Charlie is old enough to remember that Maddie came out as a transgender woman in 2019. And young enough to be obsessed with law enforcement — that kid, Former Halloween officer. Becky said the admiration disappeared the day Maddie, whom her children still call dad, died.
“He wants to know [police] They didn’t know what to do, so they didn’t do the right thing. If someone told them, they would know what to do next. You knew you were right, but you didn’t want to help his dad because his dad was different?”
Becky’s living room is decorated with paintings that Maddy made of herself and the children. In the corner are hands reaching out to waves and trios.Becky said waves are a symbol of muddy The mental health struggles that ultimately separated the couple — Maddie lost custody of her children at one point. Hands is Maddie trying to overcome those struggles and reach out to her family.
Art is just one way the family remembers Maddie, who loved to write and draw. Play video games and board games.
“They could rattle off anything from sports stats, like talking about physics or astronomy,” said Emily Flynn, Maddie’s sister. He was someone I wanted to be around.”
Maddy was adopted from South Korea. Flynn said knowing her biological relatives was life-changing for Maddie. Children were one of Maddie’s motivations for seeking treatment, even though they were resistant to certain medications.
For now, Flynn and Hoffman are trying to tell Maddie’s story to process the loss and advocate for change.
“I live in a bubble and I don’t think this will ever happen to me. [they] You can,” Flynn said.
