RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Navy veteran Sean Williams and his wife Alexis were enjoying a kid-free Sunday on March 12 when their home camera system captured two deputies approaching the family’s front door. “I was like, what are the cops doing in my house?" Sean said.
ABC Action News obtained the body camera footage from one of the officers. It showed deputies asking Sean to step out of his Riverview home before questioning him about owning and gun and whether he had threatened suicide during a recent chat with a VA crises counselor.
“I told him no, it wasn't me," Williams said. "I hadn't been in contact with the VA at all.”
A minute later, Alexis walked out and confirmed the couple had been together all morning and were watching a movie when law enforcement arrived. Sean let the officers know he was armed and that he had a permit for his gun.
The visit grew tense after the second deputy asked about the location of the permit. He told Williams he should not have stepped out of his home without the permit on him.
Alexis Williams said it felt like the deputy was escalating the situation. “The way he asked that question was as if he was trying to trap him for doing something wrong,” she said.
Williams again tried to convince officers he had not contacted the VA crises center.
What deputies didn’t know; Sean, who served eight years in the Navy, suffers from anxiety attacks connected to his time in the service. His wife told ABC Action News she worried something bad was about to happen.
“My fear was that it was going to escalate," she said, fearing a physical altercation. "Or it'd be misconstrued that my husband was getting aggressive.”
The officers questioned the Williams for 30 minutes before a dispatcher notified them the VA sent them to the wrong veteran's house.
ABC Action News asked the VA how they misidentified a veteran in crisis. A spokesperson responded in this statement:
"VA takes all calls to the Veterans Crisis Line seriously, and we are committed to ensuring the safety of any Veteran who may be in crisis. On March 12, 2023, the Veterans Crisis Line received two consecutive contacts on the chat platform from an individual who identified as a Veteran in suicidal crisis. A chat emergency dispatch was approved by a Supervisor and the Veteran was unintentionally misidentified, resulting in police responding to the incorrect Veteran.
We offer our sincerest apologies to the misidentified Veteran and their family, and we are reviewing the incident to ensure that this does not happen again. Additionally, we continue to take all possible steps to identify the correct Veteran. The misidentified Veteran’s health record will not contain a record of the event, and the incorrect information will be removed from the Veterans Crisis Line’s documentation system.
There is nothing more important to VA than preventing Veteran suicide, and that means providing Veterans with 24/7 support via the Veterans Crisis Line. We will address this issue and make sure that all Veterans who call the Crisis Line get the support that they have earned and deserve."
And Sean Williams said a doctor with the VA called to personally apologize.
Williams filed a complaint with the sheriff's office internal affairs department. ABC Action News obtained the report. The deputy's actions were reviewed by his superiors, who determined he did not violate any sheriff's office policy or procedure.
If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net, or text 838255.
