Case v. Montana · ¶8

Three police officers, dispatched to do “a welfare check on a suicidal male,” met J. H. outside the house. Id., at 104 (testimony of officer). They decided the situation was “very serious,” based both on what J. H. told them about the call and on what they already knew about Case. Id., at 75, 157. The officers were aware that Case had a history of alcohol abuse and mental-health issues; that he had previously threatened suicide at the school where he worked; and that he had once seemed to attempt “suicide-by-cop,” by confronting the police in a way that was likely to provoke a lethal response. So the three officers requested that the chief of police come to the scene. While waiting for him, they circled the house looking for signs of injury or danger. They knocked on the doors and yelled into an open window, but got no response. Shining their fashlights inside, they could make out empty…

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