A newly posted video shows the anguish people are going through when contemplating ending their lives and the compassion of Jacksonville sheriff’s officers trying to save them.
It began with a call about a suicidal man on the ledge of the Dames Point bridge. It was about 9:30 p.m. on April 12, and body-worn camera footage released on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook shows the efforts and dialogue between the man and particularly Officer Antonio Richardson.
“Whatever you’re going through, you can get through it,” Richardson says. “Now listen man, listen, you can get through this. Come on, let’s talk about it for a minute.”
It’s unclear if the man says anything but he’s facing the officer.
“Can I at least have prayer with you?” Richardson asks. “You believe in prayer, I know that. Can I at least have prayer with you? You mind if I just hold your hand and pray with you? Come on, man, touch my hand. … Look at my hand, just touch my hand, just touch my hand, man. I’m praying with you.”
“You’re hurting, but if you jump, you’re going to hurt other people, and they’re going to be hurting just like you’re hurting now,” he continues. “The cycle’s got to stop of hurt.”
After about 20 minutes of this, he repeats, “Come on man, come on, please.”
And then it happens, the man reaches for him and is pulled off the ledge.
“There you go,” Richardson says, embracing him in a firm hug. “Come on, man, come on man, come on, bro. … It’s all right. It’s all right.”
“I love you, we all love you,” Richardson tells him, looking him in the eyes. “We wear this badge for many reasons. This is the main reason to reach those whom the devil thinks he’s got. He ain’t got you, we got you.”
The Sheriff’s Office said officers shared directly from their hearts.
“In that moment, our officers weren’t the police. They were just people showing how much they care for another person.”
The incident report states that the 25-year-old said he has been having suicidal thoughts for some time. He also advised that he had previously attempted suicide by ingesting ibuprofen.
“The subject stated that today he intended to end his life,” according to the report.
A master check of his name did not show he had ever been treated for mental health care under Florida’s Baker Act. So he was transported under the act’s provisions to a mental health facility.
Florida’s Baker Act allows for individuals at risk of harming themself or others to be involuntary institutionalized for 72 hour of mental health assistance.
Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide can reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. It is a free resource available 24/7.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: ‘We got you’ says JSO officer rescuing man from Dames Point bridge
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
