License to Kill

All too often, people who need help wind up falling through the cracks, and their struggles with mental illness end in tragedy. This was the sad fate of David G. Hill, who was twenty-three when he was killed by a police officer's bullets.

David was suffering from depression when he died. Early in school, he had dealt with a learning disability and bullying, experiences that profoundly affected him. His mental health treatment and encounters with law enforcement soon began,...
More Description

All too often, people who need help wind up falling through the cracks, and their struggles with mental illness end in tragedy. This was the sad fate of David G. Hill, who was twenty-three when he was killed by a police officer's bullets.

David was suffering from depression when he died. Early in school, he had dealt with a learning disability and bullying, experiences that profoundly affected him. His mental health treatment and encounters with law enforcement soon began, but nobody seemed to know how to handle a young adult with mental illness. His father, author Gerard B. Hill, did everything possible to help his beloved son.

After David's tragic death, his family was left with so many questions. How exactly did this happen? Could they have done anything to prevent the shooting? And was David really at fault? In License to Kill, Gerard reviews the last day of David's life, minute by minute, until that final, fateful encounter.

Police departments across the United States lack proper crisis-intervention teams. This can lead to escalating situations like David's. This young man was a son, a patient, and a human being. He deserved better, and his family deserves answers.