VERO BEACH, Fla. – A 29-year-old man being held for his mental health in a Florida hospital was fatally shot after he grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened to stab nearby sheriff’s deputies.
Authorities say the man was in the emergency department at Cleveland Clinic Indian River under a 72-hour mental health hold after trying to hang himself.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers says the man was among multiple people held in the hospital because there were no beds at the local mental health facility.
He called it a terrible tragedy and said the entire country faces a mental health crisis.