Tulsa County Sheriff Faces Lawsuit For Mentally Ill Man's Death

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office faces a civil lawsuit over the shooting death of a mentally ill man.

The estate of Joshua Barre wrote a letter to the sheriff's office to notify them the suit is coming.

It claims the department didn't follow its legal duty to take Barre into custody on multiple occasions after receiving a warrant to bring him in for a behavioral health evaluation.

8/22/2017 Related Story: No Charges Filed Against Officer, Deputies Involved In Joshua Barre Fatal Shooting

It says deputies knew he was not taking his medication and posed a risk to himself and others, but still did not take appropriate actions to take him into custody on at least three occasions.

It says deputies corralled him in to a convenience store near Martin Luther King Boulevard and 46th Street North, where he was shot and killed.

The letter says deputies were negligent in their supervision of Barre as well as their training. 

A lawyer for the family said they had been working with all agencies to help Barre get the help he needed.

"Essentially, doing what a family should do when you have a child that's mentally ill. They were doing all the right things and mom had been guaranteed time and time again that they weren't going to harm her child," said attorney Dan Smolen.

The sheriff's office said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

This week, the Tulsa County District Attorney ruled the  officers involved in the shooting were justified in using deadly force.