Florida family’s 911 call to help loved one ends in death after police breach safety protocols

Joanne Celestin realized right away her brother was not himself.

Standing at the front door, he thought strangers were walking into the house he shared with his mom in their gated Florida neighborhood. He demanded Joanne hand over her keys so no one else could get inside.

“You are not Joanne,” he yelled after punching her in the face, sending her and her two children and mother hurrying to her Infiniti SUV.

After driving down the street lined with Mediterranean-style homes and palm trees, they called 911. Joanne told the dispatcher her brother had never hit them before. When the first officer arrived, she explained he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

As a nurse practitioner, she’d seen this play out before with others at the hospital. The police would bring her brother there for a mental health exam. He’d go to a treatment center. He’d be safe.