13/03/2026
😔
Alex LaMorie was a 25 year old autistic advocate who was fatally shot by law enforcement after he called 911 for his own wellness check on March 1st 2026.
This should not have happened.
He was living in a facility specifically set up to support autistic people.
He called 911 to get help and informed them that he was considering self harm.
*Self* harm.
He also shared that he was being extorted (an absolutely awful and heartbreaking part of this story), so the dispatcher had the context of his mental state.
Two of the officers who responded were trained in crisis intervention, specifically for handling situations like this one.
Alex did everything right.
He moved to a facility set up to support him as an autistic person.
He reached out for help when he needed it.
He provided relevant context for his situation.
And he was still shot on scene.
What else could he have done?
I ask because this is the question we need to be asking if we want to fix the system that is currently failing autistic people... and costing the lives of so many of us.
Victor Perez was another autistic life lost under painfully similar circumstances. He was just 17 when he was shot and killed by police last April.
Both Alex and Victor were holding knives (not guns) and did not respond to verbal instructions.
Both were autistic. Autism frequently co-occurs with auditory processing delays. Many autistic people therefore have delayed responses to verbal instructions.
These deaths should NOT have happened.
Whatever we are doing is not enough.
We need to do more.
And, now.
I know this post is not enough. But I do believe that change begins with awareness. And I'm hoping this post can help bring awareness to this devastating issue.
Alex... thank you for your work and for bringing light to a world that really needed it.
Your presence is already missed. 💔💔
