A Cincinnati homeless advocacy organization and a Black Lives Matter group are challenging the fatal police shooting of a 25-year-old man with a history of mental illness.Chief Eliot Isaac said Officer Anthony Brucato was under "vicious, violent attack" by knife-wielding robbery suspect Jawari Porter when he fired six shots at Porter at Government Square early Sunday morning.Video released Monday shows Porter lunging at Brucato in the driver's seat of a police vehicle. Earlier video shows Porter appearing to hold a knife to the throat of a security guard at a Kroger store on Vine Street.The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Black Lives Matter Cincinnati issued a joint statement saying Porter's death was avoidable. "The police officer had his gun drawn as soon as he opened the door. Inevitably this escalated the situation. This officer could have instead chosen a method of interaction meant to deescalate. After escalating the situation, and struggle ensued, the officer chose to shoot Mr. Porter. He had other options, including a partner coming to assist. Human life is far too important to not choose other options, even if doing so might increase immediate personal risk," the GCCH said in a Facebook post."This was not simply an interaction between two people, larger systems led to this interaction and our collective loss of Jawari Porter," the post continued."It is very telling of how accustomed we have become with police violence and police brutality that we can only get outraged by cold blood murders of unarmed youth. We fully support what the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless had to say about the video!" Black Lives Matter Cincinnati said in its own Facebook post.Court records show a judge last year found that Porter was mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial on assault charges. He ordered him into treatment.WLWT News 5 will have more on this story later today.

A Cincinnati homeless advocacy organization and a Black Lives Matter group are challenging the fatal police shooting of a 25-year-old man with a history of mental illness.

Chief Eliot Isaac said Officer Anthony Brucato was under "vicious, violent attack" by knife-wielding robbery suspect Jawari Porter when he fired six shots at Porter at Government Square early Sunday morning.

Video released Monday shows Porter lunging at Brucato in the driver's seat of a police vehicle. Earlier video shows Porter appearing to hold a knife to the throat of a security guard at a Kroger store on Vine Street.

The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Black Lives Matter Cincinnati issued a joint statement saying Porter's death was avoidable.

"The police officer had his gun drawn as soon as he opened the door. Inevitably this escalated the situation. This officer could have instead chosen a method of interaction meant to deescalate. After escalating the situation, and struggle ensued, the officer chose to shoot Mr. Porter. He had other options, including a partner coming to assist. Human life is far too important to not choose other options, even if doing so might increase immediate personal risk," the GCCH said in a Facebook post.

"This was not simply an interaction between two people, larger systems led to this interaction and our collective loss of Jawari Porter," the post continued.

"It is very telling of how accustomed we have become with police violence and police brutality that we can only get outraged by cold blood murders of unarmed youth. We fully support what the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless had to say about the video!" Black Lives Matter Cincinnati said in its own Facebook post.

Court records show a judge last year found that Porter was mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial on assault charges. He ordered him into treatment.

WLWT News 5 will have more on this story later today.



