A Johnston County deputy fatally shot 63-year-old Anthony Richardson during a mental-health crisis call. The shooting leaves unresolved the broader question his widow raised in its aftermath: whether armed deputies should be the ones responding when a family calls 911 for psychiatric help rather than a crime.
Richardson's wife had called 911 to report that her husband was having a mental-health episode. Richardson, an Army veteran who suffered from PTSD, had reportedly been in his garage and experiencing symptoms for days before she made the call.
About four or five sheriffs arrived roughly 15 minutes after the call, according to one account. The accounts describe deputies ordering Richardson to put down the gun; Richardson fired a shot, and deputies shot him at the scene.
DA Cites Statutory Standard for Deadly Force
The available accounts describe Richardson as armed during the encounter and note his PTSD and mental-health issues.
The legal basis for that conclusion rests on North Carolina General Statutes § 15A-401(d)(2), which authorizes law enforcement officers to use deadly physical force when they reasonably believe it is necessary to defend themselves or others from what they reasonably perceive as the imminent use of deadly force, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. Separately, state law under G.S. § 15A-401(d1), enacted through 2021 legislation and effective December 1, 2021, requires officers who witness another officer using force beyond legally authorized limits to intervene when they have a reasonable opportunity and it is safe to do so, and to report the force within a reasonable period not exceeding 72 hours, according to the UNC School of Government.
The SBI was investigating the shooting, according to the available accounts.
Widow Says Deputies Shouldn't Kill Over Mental Illness
Dorleen Richardson said she expected deputies to handcuff her husband and take him to a hospital, not confront him with lethal force.
That expectation echoes a tension playing out across the county's approach to behavioral health emergencies. Johnston County operates a Crisis Intervention Team training program through the Johnston County Mental Health Center specifically to teach local officers de-escalation techniques for handling mental health crises, according to Johnston County Government. Richardson's death, coming after his wife's 911 call about a mental-health episode, has renewed scrutiny of how that training translates when a firearm is already in play.
No Prior Shooting Details Established
The available sources do not establish whether this was the deputy's first use of deadly force in a crisis call. They also do not establish details of any prior shooting or ruling involving the deputy.
The available sources do not establish when or where the deputy began his law-enforcement career.
New DA Took Office Amid Transition
The available sources do not establish the circumstances under which the district attorney took office or the current election status.
The available sources do not establish the identity of Johnston County's sheriff.
A Veteran's Death Amid a Larger Crisis
Richardson's death highlights the challenges faced by veterans with mental-health needs. For Dorleen Richardson, that offers little comfort against the specific outcome of her own 911 call — one she believed would bring her husband medical help, not a fatal confrontation with the deputy who arrived at her door.
