Coroner’s inquest calls police involved shooting death a suicide

May 20, 2017 | 8:35 AM

VICTORIA — A coroner’s inquest jury that reviewed the case of a Victoria man who died during a confrontation with police has classified the death as a suicide.

Twenty-year-old Rhett Mutch was shot in the neck after Victoria police responded to a 911 call from his mother’s home on Nov. 1, 2014.

An independent civilian investigation cleared the officer who fired the fatal shot, saying Mutch was holding a knife, refused to drop it and charged at other police arriving at the scene.

The coroner’s jury issued 12 recommendations Friday that focus on police response for those in mental health crises, as well as expanding support for youth transitioning out of government care.