Eyewitness video from the incident was posted at the time to Twitter but has since been removed and the incident was witnessed by at least 20 people. Taylor reportedly would not respond to police commands to drop the bat, and use of Tasers did not seem to subdue him. Then former San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher shot Taylor, and Taylor was seen in the video walking away from officers and dropping the bat before collapsing.
At just 25 years old, her daughter, Alex Davies, was found dead in her segregation cell at Styal prison in Cheshire on Christmas Eve last year. She had been sent to prison after pleading guilty to offences including criminal damage and possession of a knife, which she had committed while in mental health crisis. The expectation was that when Alex was sentenced, she would receive a hospital order, and four separate psychiatrists had recommended that she be transferred to hospital before sentence.
Nine months after the confrontation that led to her son's death, Ellen Barrett sued the City of Carmel and involved police officers, alleging excessive force during the incident.
The lawsuit claims that Carmel police officers used excessive force during an altercation with Ellen Barrett's son, James Marshall, during a mental health crisis.