The man killed by police at a Super 8 motel in Henrietta this month was deaf and would not have heard deputies' commands to drop the knife he was using to harm himself, his family says.
Gregory Kase, 62, was shot and killed by Monroe County Sheriff's deputies around 4 p.m. Aug. 9.
In a notice of claim sent to the county Aug. 20, Bonnie Kase, the man's wife, said she called 911 to report that her husband was suicidal and in the midst of a mental health crisis. Bonnie Kase reportedly told dispatchers that her husband was deaf.
It is unclear whether that information was relayed to responding officers.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said when deputies arrived at the motel on Lehigh Station Road, they found a man holding a box cutter and said he appeared
to be using it in an attempt to harm himself. According to the sheriff's office, deputies gave the man several commands to drop the weapon. When he did not comply, the deputies shot and killed him.
The notice of claim alleges Gregory Kase was naked, standing next to a bathtub on a wet bathroom floor and several feet away from deputies when he was killed. It also accuses deputies of failing to consider or deploy less lethal tactics, like pepper spray or a Taser.
"Upon information and belief, the County's entire stated justification for the use of deadly force rests on Mr. Kase's asserted failure to comply with verbal commands," the filing reads. "Upon information and belief, Mr. Kase did not hear, and could not have heard and understood, the commands attributed to the deputies."
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said it will release body-worn camera footage and brief media on the incident at 3:30 p.m., Thursday.
The sheriff's office and the New York State Attorney General's Office are both investigating.
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Family says deaf Henrietta man couldn't hear deputies' commands
