WASHINGTON — A man who had just been cleared of any mental health issues by a hospital was shot and killed minutes later by a deputy sheriff during a mental crisis.
Jovany Martinez, 29, approached a Fairfax County police officer who was parked in a gas station parking lot to chat Monday afternoon. The officer noticed something wasn’t right with Martinez, either he was being affected by the heat or was having a mental health issue.
Martinez was taken to Inova Fairfax, where police say the hospital told an officer that he did not have a mental health issue.
Martinez was discharged later that night and went to a nearby bus stop.
There, Martinez took a sign post and hit a security guard, police said.
A deputy sheriff came to help. Then Martinez approached the deputy in what the department says was an attempt to hit him with the post.
The deputy fatally shot Martinez.
Police said the investigation is “very active” and are looking for anyone who may have seen Martinez earlier that day.
