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#JusticeforChristian: Pennsylvania teen with 'mental health crisis' shot dead by police in disturbing footage

State police and lawyers for the family differ on what actually happened that winter afternoon on the overpass

MONROW COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: After a 19-year-old boy was shot dead by state police on December 30 on the overpass to Interstate 80 in Hamilton Township, Pennsylvania, following reports of a distraught man with a gun on the bridge, Twitter users are demanding justice for the victim. According to the police, Christian Hall, 19, was standing near a bridge with a gun, and at one point, pointed it in the direction of officers which was when troopers opened fire.

The news went viral only recently after civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted the video of the incident alongside a photo of Hall with a stuffed toy on Tuesday, February 2. "19yo Christian Hall needed HELP. On 12/30, he experienced a mental health crisis and @PAStatePolice were called to assist. Instead of helping Christian, deputies fatally shot him with his hands raised. This is NOT how cops should handle mental health crises! #JusticeForChristian," he wrote in the caption. The family of the victim has also announced a forthcoming federal civil rights lawsuit against the state troopers.

Warning: The following footage can be disturbing for some readers

The video, which was recorded by passers-by, begins with the camera zooming in on Hall, who is seen with his hands raised, backing away from something not seen in the frame. “Did they just shoot?” someone asks behind the camera. Five shots are heard before Hall collapses and could not be seen any longer. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” two people inside the car were heard yelling.

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After Crump posted the tweet, many people used the #JusticeForChristian hashtag to express outrage. "We can't let this continue. We absolutely cannot! Police officers must be held accountable or this will continue. #JusticeForChristian He needed help but he was killed," one of them said while another noted, "WHERES THE MOURNING FOR CHRISTIAN HALL WHO WAS MURDERED BY YOUR OWN POLICE OFFICERS????!!!! #justiceforchristian." A third asked, "TW: Police Violence, Death Non-aggressive with his hands up and they still shoot him. Unsurprisingly, police ignored this entire past summer. #JusticeForChristian" 

One more commented, "HIS NEEDS TO HEARD NOT IGNORED  #justiceforChristian" Another added, "It’s almost like (police) are just str8 up killing ppl bcuz they don’t wanna deal with the paperwork (incident reports) thereafter. #JusticeForChristian." The next said, "I can't like this...I'm disgusted beyond words...#justiceforChristian." A commenter tweeted, "#justiceforChristian the police statement said he was holding a firearm and walked towards police. A blatant lie....Christian is seen with his hands up to the moment he was shot!!" The next quipped, "Wow this needs a lot more attention. Police once again with their behavior and lying in the statement about that day...see comment #JusticeForChristian"

Attorneys for Hall's family of a man are asking for the state's top detective to investigate the shooting. "He needed help," said his mother, Fe Hall. "He was looking for help, but instead of getting help, he was killed by those who were supposed to help him."

State police confirmed troopers involved in the shooting recently returned to work despite the ongoing investigation. "This needs a completely independent look. These troopers, while they are state police, the fact is they work with local police and local prosecutors to prosecute their cases. It is simply impossible to have an independent investigation when you're investigating people that you work with every day. This needs to go to Attorney General Josh Shapiro," said Devon Jacob, a Hall family attorney.

In a statement sent to Newswatch 16, the district attorney's office said, in part, "No one from Mr. Hall's legal team has reached out to us at all. We weren't told that the attorneys were going to conduct a press conference today. We have not been asked to provide any information relative to this matter. We are still awaiting certain reports and results before we make any final decision."