Metropolitan Police Department officer Ryan Murphy may have prevented a police shooting last year when he spent nearly an hour talking down a woman who was considering suicide.
Murphy and 72 others were honored for their heroism during Metro’s March Commendation Ceremony at the department’s headquarters on Thursday.
When it was his turn to receive an award for exemplary service, Jamie Ioos, director of the department’s public information office thanked Murphy for saving lives and “injecting humanity” into his daily work.
In early October, Murphy responded to a call about a suicidal woman who lived with her mother. When he arrived, he talked to her for more than 40 minutes, sharing that he had once considered taking his own life.
Murphy’s care helped calm the woman down, Ioos said, but the story did not end there.
Metro got another call to the same house the next day, and Murphy responded. When he arrived, the woman, who had gotten into an argument with her mother, was screaming in the street about how her children would be taken away and how she no longer wanted to live, Murphy said.
After nearly two hours, Murphy had calmed the woman down again. While they stood talking, he said, he noticed that she had grabbed an object from her pants and thrown it into nearby bushes. Upon further investigation, Murphy learned it was a steak knife, according to police.
When he asked why she had a knife, the woman told him that she had planned to charge at responding officers, hoping that they would kill her, Murphy said. But after recognizing Murphy, she changed her mind, Ioos said.
Murphy said the woman told him she could not proceed with her original plan because he had shown her so much compassion the day before.
When asked what the incident taught him about being an officer and responding to mental health crises, Murphy said that sometimes people just need someone to talk to and relate to.
“With what I’ve been through, it was easy to understand what she was going through. At that point, it wasn’t a cop to a citizen; it was a human to a human,” said Murphy, who attended the event with his wife and children. “Thank God that somehow we connected and that an officer-involved shooting didn’t happen. Had anybody else stepped out of that patrol car beside me, we would have another OIS.”
In 2024, there were 17 police shootings in Metro’s jurisdiction, nine of which were fatal. In 2023, there were 10 shootings, and five were fatal.
Murphy emphasized the importance of listening when de-escalating situations like the one for which he was awarded.
“Often, people just have stuff they want to get off their chest,” Murphy said. “But if you sit there, trying to show your authority and bossing them around, they will repel against that.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org. Additionally, the Crisis Text Line is a free, national service available 24/7. Text HOME to 741741.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
