On July 8, 26-year-old Austin Reeves arrived at his Hingham home, extremely distraught after a phone conversation with his ex-girlfriend. In the call, he mentioned a gun, which led his ex-girlfriend to call police and ask them to check on him. When a Hingham officer called to ask about his well-being, Austin told his family he needed time alone and went upstairs. His father, however, was worried his son would hurt himself and called police for help.
Police arrived and, after Austin’s ex-girlfriend reportedly told them that he’d said that anyone who went upstairs to get him would be hurt, his mother and father were removed from the scene and a SWAT team was called in for backup. Dozens of forces from neighboring towns with high-tech, military-style equipment arrived – some wearing camouflage and carrying rifles.
Ten hours after the ordeal began, police told the mother and father that their son had shot and killed himself during the standoff. Today, they maintain Austin’s death was 100 percent preventable, particularly if authorities had exercised the restraint that Russell and Kate had beseeched them to.
“I wanted [the police] to say one thing: ‘Austin, we know about this and you’ve done nothing wrong,’” explained Russell Reeves when he and his wife, Kate Harrison, joined Jim Braude on Greater Boston. “I said … ‘Don’t back him into the corner; he’s going to hurt himself.’”
Adding to their skepticism of police’s approach was their frustration at having been separated from the scene, as Reeves and Harrison were temporarily moved to a repurposed ambulance with no access to their son.
“As soon as the police were called — and we called them looking for some help — we were removed,” said Harrison, whose attempts to communicate with Austin via text message went unanswered and whose request to speak directly with him was rebuffed. “They said … that the protocol would not allow this.”
Reeves agreed that his wife’s suggestion would have been the sensible course, recounting, “I told the police … ‘If you’re concerned … put Kevlar on and stand back and let the mother talk to him … he’s not going to hurt his mother.’”
No such peaceful intervention was offered, though, and the situation escalated into a lengthy standoff during which lights were flashed and windows were broken.
“Ten hours of aggravation,” said a visibly distraught Reeves. “I can’t tell you how many times I told these police, ‘You’re aggravating my son. He’s going to kill himself. Leave him alone.’”
Russell and Kate’s appearance on Greater Boston was motivated not only by a desire to share the story of their son’s life and death, but to effect a change in the tactics employed during similar crises.
“I really feel that if we had had somebody that had some clinical experience and background in regards to prevention of suicide,” said Harrison, “that I could have worked with my son and gotten him to come out.”
Reeves and Harrison said they want others to know that individuals and families have options when dealing with the possibility of self-harm, suicide or other forms of violence.
“I really want everybody to have … that Good Samaritan 24/7 number that they can call instead of calling the police in a situation like this,” said Harrison.
The Samaritans Suicide Hotline can be reached at (877) 870-4673.
Hingham Police did not respond to a request for comment about this incident.
If you’d like to watch the full interview with Russell Reeves and Kate Harrison, click on the video player above.
