Mental Illness Archives - The Colorado Independent

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Former Rangely police Lt. Roy Kinney and Debra Pierce, widow of Daniel Pierce, a mentally ill man whom Kinney shot and killed in a 2018 police chase, share an emotional moment during a community conversation in Rangely on Dec. 2, 2019. Pierce told Kinney she does not blame him for her estranged husband's death. (Photo by Caitlin Walker)

All stories

Rangely police shooting: The truth emerges and the healing begins

Jeff Roberts, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition - December 6, 2019

RANGELY ̶ Late in the evening, two hours into Monday’s meeting at the community college, Debra Pierce turned and faced the police lieutenant who...

Still shot from the dashboard camera on former Rangely Police Lt. Roy Kinney's patrol car as he chased Daniel Pierce through the desert. The December 10, 2018 pursuit ended when Kinney fatally shot Pierce.

Civil Rights

Through the Cracks: A stranger, a police shooting, and a small...

Niki Turner and Susan Greene - November 9, 2019

RANGELY – No one seems to know why Daniel Pierce settled in this northwestern Colorado town last year after his wife in Missouri and...

Criminal Justice

Through the Cracks: A stranger, a police shooting, and a rural...

Niki Turner and Susan Greene - November 7, 2019

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part collaboration between The Colorado Independent and The Rio Blanco Herald Times. We will post the...

Civil Rights

The Indy 500: The courage of undocumented immigrants who talk to reporters

Susan Greene - August 8, 2019

We reporters are used to being stood up. Our sources often get cold feet. And for good reason: Many have a lot to lose by...

Civil Rights

Greene: Michael Marshall’s jail killing prompts $4.65 million payout, new policies...

Susan Greene - November 1, 2017

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has reached a $4.65 million settlement with the family of Michael Marshall, whom Denver Sheriff’s deputies killed in the city...

Just In

Sylvester Tally: Readers respond to “The sad death of the happiest...

Staff Report - December 23, 2016

Readers had a lot to say about "The sad death of the happiest man in Denver," our story about Sylvester Tally, the beloved longtime coffee...

Michael Lee Marshall was killed by sheriff's deputies, but his death wasn't an isolated incident. It was part of a larger systemic problem in which mental illness is criminalized.

Criminal Justice

Pre-arrest diversion programs could have saved Michael Marshall

Art Way, Drug Policy Alliance - March 4, 2016

Last November, 50-year-old Michael Marshall suffered an acute psychotic episode —symptomatic of his chronic schizophrenia —while in custody at a Denver detention center. Multiple deputies forcibly...