SAN ANTONIO — A family is grieving a loss and advocating for change after their loved one was shot by police.
Valerie Harris said her daughter Janelle Harris was diagnosed as bipolar schizoaffective when she was in her 20's. Since then, Valerie said her daughter hasn't been the same mentally.
On Thursday, SAPD responded to a call for a woman waving a gun around at Babcock Road and Roanoke Run. Upon arrival, officers found Janelle waving that gun, that they say she pointed it at one of the officers, prompting him to fire his weapon.
"We have to have more empathy, we really have to do something," Valerie said.
Valerie said growing up, her daughter was kind, loved to write, draw and went to college. She led a normal life until her 20's when Valerie started noticing her daughter's mental health decline.
She said her daughter started failing her classes, ultimately dropping out. She had a few instances where Valerie said Janelle stole from a store and people.
Valerie and her family started looking for help. Janelle got medication but just as things were looking up, Valerie said they'd get worst.
Just about a year ago, Valerie said Janelle pointed a BB gun at her father's face after an argument. Valerie and her husband had worked hard to never call the police during Janelle's mental episodes, but, this time, she said they had to.
"It’s like waiting for the other shoe to fall, the first shoe was mental illness, the second shoe is who’s going to get there first and what is their response going to be?” Valerie said.
She found out their daughter had been shot when KENS 5 reached out to them. When Valerie made it to the hospital she knew Janelle was going through one of her episodes.
Wanting to know what her daughter was doing, she asked Janelle. Janelle told her she was looking for a bed at the VA, but they wouldn't provide her one, so she got frustrated.
"There’s no law that says they have to put her anywhere for mental illness." Valerie said, "you go downtown...there’s so many of them…and I don’t want that for my daughter.”
Now, Valerie and her family want people to think about them, what they're going through and for everyone to have empathy. She said her daughter most likely didn't understand what she was doing.
“People need to know we are struggling out here…the mentally ill are struggling out here and they can't just be pushed to the side," she said.