By admin 
CHANDLER, AZ (AZFamily) — The mother of a man she said had schizophrenia and who was having a mental health crisis when he was shot by police officers last year has filed a lawsuit against the city of Chandler and the Chandler Police Department.
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Kelly Woods’ attorneys said during a news conference Wednesday that she told dispatchers that her son, Messiah Deasure-Shamyl McMillian, was struggling mentally, and armed police would only make things worse when she called 911 on March 20, 2025.
“When she called 911, she was very careful to let the dispatch operator know of Messiah’s mental health conditions. And she specifically requested a crisis response team trained to deal with mental health patients,” attorney Rob MacTavish said.
The lawsuit said police showed up with guns on Commonwealth Avenue, south of Chandler Boulevard, and east of Arizona Avenue around 12:15 p.m. without crisis workers or behavioral health support.
McMillian was shirtless and barefoot, visibly having a psychological breakdown and holding a kitchen knife that witnesses said he was using on himself, the court paperwork said.
“What followed was a tragic event that was completely avoidable,” MacTavish said.
The lawsuit alleges officers immediately shouted commands within seconds of arriving, increasing tensions with McMillian and did not try any less-lethal moves, including stun guns, distance tactics or crisis intervention.
“They responded as if this were a run-of-the-mill domestic dispute response,” MacTavish said. “They failed to pursue any non-escalatory options, such as standing back, establishing a perimeter to make sure all the residents of the apartment complex were safe, and calling for a mental health crisis response team.”
Officers said they told McMillian to drop the knife but he did not and ran toward an officer while holding the knife. That’s when the officer shot McMillian. MacTavish said only 29 seconds went by between first contact and gunfire.
“They set in motion a chain of events that became uncontrollable, and they were responsible for doing that,” he said.
“My son didn’t deserve that. I want to see justice for my son,” Woods said. “And I want to see policy and protocol changed.”
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MacTavish said the officer who shot McMillian, Officer Gressley, was an officer-in-training and had only been on the job for four months. Woods’ attorneys said it was negligent to send an inexperienced officer to a psychiatric emergency.
While witnesses said McMillian was harming himself and not threatening officers, the detective’s narrative said he was “threatening himself and others,” which the lawsuit says is inconsistent with what happened.
Officers are also accused of not giving McMillian life-saving help quickly enough. MacTavish said it took officers nearly three minutes to act.
“They opted to approach him using a ballistic shield, even though nobody ever saw Messiah with a gun,” he said.
Video reportedly shows McMillian bleeding extensively while officers only started CPR after he stopped moving and no paramedics were in sight.
“Nothing can bring back Ms. Woods’ son. However, we do seek accountability for the responsible authorities,” MacTavish said.
MacTavish said his team has requested the body camera video from police, but the request has been denied.
Woods said the past 15 months have been extremely difficult.
“My three other kids and my grandkids suffer because I’m not a 100% no more,” she said. “He made some mistakes a long way, but he was a good kid. He really was.”
Woods is seeking $10 million in damages, plus attorneys’ fees and a jury trial.
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