MCKINNEY, Texas- Two McKinney police officers are currently on standard leave as the Texas Rangers investigate a fatal police shooting that occurred on Monday night. The man who was shot has been identified as 37-year-old Sidney Dotson. At an apartment complex in Texas, he began making threats to end his own life while armed with a knife.
Dotson’s sister, Marlo Griffin, expressed her grief and confusion over her brother’s death. She stated that she had called for help for her brother, informing the dispatcher that he was a mental patient experiencing a breakdown. Griffin had even met the police officers at the gate and informed them about Dotson’s mental health issues. Dotson had recently been released from prison and was struggling to readjust, having difficulty finding work and discontinuing his medication for bipolar schizophrenia.
Dotson’s sister had been working to secure a place for him at a halfway house to assist with finding employment. She had received a call last Friday from a group in Garland that was willing to accept Dotson starting on Tuesday. However, before he could receive the help he needed, the encounter with the police turned fatal.
In video footage from the incident, Dotson can be seen pacing back and forth in front of the officers, armed with a knife and bleeding from self-inflicted cuts. The officers can be heard commanding him to get on the ground, but Dotson refuses.
Officers reportedly fired a non-lethal round at the man after he refused to cooperate. This was followed by more gunfire as the suspect charged at the officers with a knife in hand, resulting in Dotson being shot. Despite efforts to save his life, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital.