The Brief
- An Arizona mother is speaking out and suing the Chandler Police Department for more than $10 million following the wrongful death of her 27-year-old son, Messiah McMillan.
- McMillan, who suffered from schizophrenia, was shot four times within 29 seconds of law enforcement contact during a severe psychiatric episode on March 20, 2025.
- The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office cleared the involved rookie officer of criminal charges, while the police department has declined to comment or release critical body camera footage.
CHANDLER, Ariz. – A Chandler mother is speaking out after the death of her 27-year-old son, who was shot and killed by Chandler police. The fatal shooting happened in March of last year, and the family is suing the department, saying police protocol needs to change.
Police called Messiah McMillan a knife-wielding man on the day he was shot. But his family insists there is another side to the story, describing a young man suffering from schizophrenia who needed help. Their lawsuit raises questions about how the department handles these emergencies.
The backstory:
On March 20, Kelly Woods called 911 because her son, Messiah McMillan, was having a severe psychiatric episode outside his grandmother’s Chandler home. She explicitly asked for a specialized crisis intervention team.…