Police identify man killed by officers

a deadly police shooting over the weekend. we know 22-year-old eric john wilson was the man reported killed by the officer. police say they were called to wilson’s home in west el paso around midnight saturday because wilson was threatening to kill himself. police say that when officers arrived, wilson told them he was armed with two handguns and a rifle … and allegedly said he’d quote– shoot it out– with police. police say wilson refused to show his hands and reached behind his back and pointed it at them. officers, fearing for their safety, shot him at least twice. this all happened on the 71- hundred block of tierra taos. / today abc-7’s darren hunt spoke with a man who used to work with wilson … and mental health professionals who help train police for these types of situations. he’s live with what he learned … darren. rick/estela, wilson’s family was not ready to speak with us on camera about his death today … but i did speak with an employee at a restaurant wilson used to work at as part of a mental health program he was involved with. “so you remember eric?” “yeah i remember. “what was he like?” “well he was a very quiet guy very shy … ” omar biviano i head waiter at garufa’s in west el paso, where eric john wilson worked as a dishwasher three years ago as part of a mental health employment program … prior to being shot to death by police early sunday morning after threatening to commit suicide. “you were never afraid of him o anything like that?” “no, uh-uh, never.” wilson younger brother would not speak with us on camera … but he did tell me eric was “a great man” and “he loved h family more than anything.” it’s no uncommon for police to deal with suicidal people. “we work very closely with el paso police department, sheriff’s department on mental health traing … ” kristi daugherty is c-e-o of emergence health network. “officers go throug certification training and they’re taught to respond best they can in situation that they are presented … we work with them on every case that we’re asked to work on, we’re called out to swat situations … we have professionals that respond with them, if the situation is safe they allow us to help when need as well.” it’s unclear whether mental health professionals were called to the scene before wilson was shot by police. “we as a community need to be more proactive on the front end, when somebody is experiencing a first episode of phychosis or first episode of a mental illness and getting the help they need then … rather than waiting for someone to get into a very serious crisis situation, where it does turn into an unfortunate event.” police confirmed their officers receive 40 hours of instruction as mental health officers … and every three years they receive an additional eight hours of training. the officer and the sergeant who shot wilson remain on paid leave as the investigation continues. rick and estela. more and more police and sheriff’s departments across the country are depending on police