Mental Health Resources Assist First Responders Following Broken Arrow Murder-Suicide

People in Broken Arrow are reeling after investigators say two parents murdered their children before killing themselves and setting the house on fire.

It's a tragedy for the entire community, but especially for first responders who found the children, between the ages of one and 13.

Peer support is one of the most important coping mechanisms. But Tulsa Police’s Mental Health Unit, which supports Broken Arrow Police Department, said it has more ways to help.

First responders never know when they may respond to a scene that affects them for the rest of their lives.

Broken Arrow Police and Fire Chaplain, Scott Keele, said last night’s murder-suicide made first responders relive moments they experienced in 2015.

“I went back by the scene just to check in. One of the things this did for sure was trigger, because of the Bever family about seven years ago. So, our fire guys and our police, some of them that were on that scene especially were reliving some of it,” Keele said.

No one is immune to these kind of traumatic events and there’s no “one size fits all” approach to helping first responders, said Tulsa Police Mental Health Unit’s Sergeant Amber McCarty.

“Some officers might really be bothered by the scene. Most people in a situation like that are going to have a negative response, but it affects others more than some. And so we just kind of point them in the right direction,” McCarty said.

McCarty said her unit provides counseling for Tulsa Police, as well as Broken Arrow and other agencies. She said it’s helped a lot of officers.

“Probably more than you would expect,” McCarty said. “They do utilize these services and it's not something that is, you know, ongoing most of the time as things pop up, situations like this pop up. And of course, if they need ongoing counseling, that's available also.”

Anyone who is dealing with trauma can call the National Crisis Lifeline at 988 and speak to someone immediately for help.

Related Story: 2 Adults, 6 Children Found Dead In Burned Broken Arrow Home; Murder-Suicide Investigation Underway