Killing of Miles Hall

Did You Know?

• Miles Hall attended Parkmead Elementary School, Walnut Creek Intermediate School, and graduated from Las Lomas High School.
• He was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Death

On June 2, 2019, Miles Hall's family called police for help managing his mental health crisis, informing dispatchers he was unarmed and experiencing delusions from a serious mental illness. The family had previously worked with Walnut Creek Police to alert them about Miles' condition and seek guidance for emergencies.

Witnesses saw Hall pacing in his yard as family tried to calm him. Officers not trained in de-escalation and unfamiliar with the family arrived, repeatedly shouted his name, and after a brief hostile confrontation fired multiple rounds, killing him. Officers KC Hsiao and Melissa Murphy were not charged.

Aftermath

The shooting sparked immediate protests in Walnut Creek demanding an independent investigation and accountability. The Contra Costa County District Attorney's office investigated but in October 2020 declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence.

The Miles Hall Foundation and FOSATH

Miles' parents Taun, Scott, and Alexis Hall founded The Miles Hall Foundation, a 501c3 organization promoting mental health awareness and reforming police response to mental health emergencies; Taun Hall serves as executive director. The foundation advocates for mental health professionals handling crises and increased police training, with a mission to advocate for families impacted by mental illness, educate communities to reduce stigma and bias, and prevent criminalization and excessive force during mental health emergencies.

Due to Miles' death and the foundation's advocacy, California passed Assembly Bill 988, the Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act in September 2020, requiring all state law enforcement agencies to adopt mental health crisis policies and providing funding for crisis intervention training and the 988 alternative to 911. Miles Hall's death and subsequent activism have contributed to a movement for police reform and accountability in mental health crisis response.

A Treatment Advocacy Center report notes individuals with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than those without.