A pilot program that brings mental health professionals together with Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies is set to expand less than a year after its formation, officials announced on Monday.

Across the country, in response to officers killing people they come into contact with, there have been growing demands for police reform. Part of the debate centers around the release of footage from body-worn cameras.

Daniels' brother and mother said he hadn’t experienced mental health episodes before the days leading up to his death. Daniels' family said this was the ending that they feared. “He only became defensive if they became combative with him,” Daniels' brother said. Damian would want us to make change,” Daniels' brother said. In October, the county implemented new policies on how mental health calls are dispatched and required a mental health professional and paramedic to respond to specific calls.

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County commissioners approved a new program on Thursday to help respond better to mental health calls. The program’s announcement follows the killing of Damian Lamar Daniels last month, which Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff has said should have never happened. Under the plan commissioners passed Thursday morning, mental health calls could be routed to a new, still unnamed mental health unit. The unit would generally respond with paramedics and mental health professionals or perhaps even handle the issue over the phone. The new unit would respond to calls in unincorporated Bexar County.

SAN ANTONIO – The fatal shooting of a combat veteran by a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy who was responding to a mental health call was apparently the last straw for Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff regarding the criminal justice system. The county judge on Tuesday released a letter critical of the system that he said is “flawed” and needs to be “fixed.”“Our criminal justice system is systematically flawed to the extent that it fails to administer justice to the poor, the homeless, minorities, and to the mentally ill and drug dependent citizens,” the letter stated. Wolff has been very critical of the Aug. 25 shooting of Damian Daniels, who family members said served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. The victim’s brother, Brendan Daniels, said his brother had no criminal history, but he did have mental health issues. In Tuesday’s letter, Wolff outlined a number of ways he feels would repair the system:Address a number of police and deputy reforms, including use of force.

In Eugene, Oregon, a team consisting of a medic and a crisis worker are first on the scene of mental health calls. The program is called Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets, or CAHOOTS, and it provides mobile crisis intervention 24/7 in the Eugene-Springfield Metro Area. As the state of Oregon and this country, quite frankly, continue to defund mental health treatment and mental health facilities and continue to defund addiction services, we saw a very a fairly sharp uptick in those issues in our community, said Chris Skinner, Eugene police chief. Skinner said sending the CAHOOTS team is the right response for these types of calls. The White Bird Clinic said the CAHOOTS team that responds is not armed and is a voluntary service.

SAN ANTONIO A Bexar County deputy who fatally shot Damian Lamar Daniels on Aug. 25 was involved in a similar fatal shooting a decade ago, according to the sheriffs office. Daniels, a combat veteran, had been struggling over the recent deaths of loved ones and was paranoid, family said. On Sept. 17, 2010, Rodriguez fatally shot Jack Burney Butler, who had struggled with bipolar disorder, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The officer told him to stop, and my brother did not, Shannon Butler told the Express-News. Merrit and Daniels family met with District Attorney Joe Gonzales on Tuesday in hopes of getting justice for him.

National civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, associate attorney Blerim Elmazi and members of Daniels family met with Gonzales and his staff. Merritt also confirmed that BCSO officials reached out to the Daniels family after he was killed, but the family declined meeting with law enforcement. Once the case is reviewed, it will be presented to a Bexar County Grand jury to determine if an indictment is warranted. Daniels death has sparked demonstrations outside the Bexar County Jail and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff has directed his county manager to look into policy changes. Two veteran deputies and a trainee deputy have are being placed on administrative leave before being placed on administrative duty as standard procedure.

SAN ANTONIO Over 100 people showed up at the Bexar County Jail to speak out in wake of Damian Lamar Daniels death on Friday. The group demanded answers and called for change, holding signs that read, Damian Deserves Justice.One of the main goals, protesters say, is to decrease law enforcement funding and give funding to other programs. In this case, a program where mental health experts can respond to mental health calls. Watch more on the protesters in the video player above. RELATED: Bexar County Judge questions why deputies were called out to troubled combat veterans home

SAN ANTONIO Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff is directing his county manager to look into policy changes after Bexar County deputies fatally shot a mentally troubled combat veteran on Tuesday. Toward the end of the struggle, deputies said Daniels reached for his weapon, so one deputy shot him twice. In cases like this, with known mental health issues, it may have been better to send crises mental health professionals rather than deputies with guns and uniforms. I am also asking Smith to determine what additional mental health staff would be required to augment our Mental Health Department enabling us to better respond to cases like this. Bexar County Judge Nelson WolffRead also:Man, 31, killed in deputy-involved shooting on far West Side, Bexar County sheriff saysBexar County sheriff releases photos of struggle moments before deputy fatally shot man

SAN ANTONIO Update:One suspect has been arrested in connection with the anti-law enforcement graffiti that was found in a parking garage near the Bexar County Jail. Original:The Bexar County Sheriffs Office is looking for the people responsible for spray painting anti-law enforcement messages in a parking garage adjacent to the jail during protests that took place Wednesday night. Protestors gathered outside the jail to demonstrate after a Bexar County deputy fatally shot Damian Lamar Daniels, who appeared to suffer from mental problems. Deputies believe during those demonstrations, vandals tagged the garage and a BCSO patrol car. Daniels, a combat veteran, was mentally unstable and suicidal after the loss of loved ones, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A 31-year-old man is dead after a deputy-involved shooting on the far West Side that started as a mental health-type call, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said. According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s office, Damian Lamar Daniels was shot and killed Tuesday evening. Salazar said a deputy attempted to subdue Daniels with a stun gun, but it did not stop him. He then grabbed the deputy’s stun gun, and another deputy used their stun gun on him to try to get him to let go of it, the sheriff said. The two veteran deputies and a trainee deputy will be placed on administrative leave and then administrative duty as the investigations continue.

SAN ANTONIO Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Wednesday he is confident deputies did everything in their power to avoid using deadly force before one opened fire on a man following a two-minute struggle. His death sparked demonstrations outside the Bexar County Jail on Wednesday night. Damian Lamar Daniels was armed when deputies encountered him outside his home on August 25, 2020, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. Damian Lamar Daniels was fatally shot by a Bexar County deputy following a two-minute struggle. Two veteran deputies and a trainee deputy have are being placed on administrative leave before being placed on administrative duty as standard procedure.