Decarlos Cornelius Long Obituary – Decarlos Cornelius Long, aged 43, was identified as the individual who was shot and killed by deputies in Orange County on Tuesday. According to the sheriff’s office, they received a call regarding a person causing harm to themselves, and shortly after the deputies arrived, Long approached them with a knife. The sheriff’s office revealed they had been called to the same residence 16 times in the past year. On Wednesday, they released a list of these calls, which ranged from reports of suspicious incidents to threats and assault.
The final call was made on Tuesday, reporting someone harming themselves. Amy Messina, a neighborhood resident, stated, “I thought I heard a firecracker earlier, and that’s why I heard the gunshots.” It was only after seeing the crime scene tape that some individuals living near Edgewater Drive and Davisson Avenue were able to piece together what had occurred. Messina added, “I just walked outside to take the garbage out and I saw caution tape around the corner and knew something was up.” The sheriff mentioned on Tuesday that he believed Long had a history of mental health issues. Messina expressed her sadness, saying, “Obviously that man was having something going on with himself. And that was sad to hear.”
Certain sheriff’s offices have a Behavioral Response Unit specifically designed to handle calls involving mental health. Although Orange County lists this unit on its website, it is unclear whether it responded to Tuesday’s call. Charlotte McCullough, a licensed marriage and family therapist, explained, “When they receive a call reporting someone hurting themselves, that is undoubtedly a crisis.” McCullough assists individuals in managing their mental health daily.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office website, their behavioral response unit dispatches a trained mental health clinician alongside deputies who have crisis intervention training. McCullough further stated, “For those sheriffs’ offices that do have the behavioral response units, usually they have someone that responds with the deputy, co-responding with them. But even in those situations…”