Steve Hobart says he’ll never forget the frantic moments after his 19-year-old son was shot. He’ll never forget seeing a bloodied Aaron Hobart die in front of his eyes as he struggled to give him CPR.

“We wanted Aaron to get help,” Hobart said with watery eyes Tuesday. “We didn’t want him to die.”

Stafford police have said Aaron attacked officer Jesus Estrada after police responded to a 911 call at his parents’ Aspen Lane home last week. During the struggle, Estrada shot and killed Aaron, police said.

But Aaron’s father and a family attorney said Tuesday that the unarmed, mentally ill man was shot four times after Estrada pushed him away.

His father said Aaron was in a psychiatric crisis. He was delusional and had refused to take his medication. His parents hoped police would either persuade him to take the pills or take him to the hospital.

But the Hobarts believe Estrada and the Stafford Police Department were unprepared to deal with a psychiatric emergency. A police spokesman declined to comment on the shooting because the investigation is in progress.

Aaron’s family said he didn’t need to die. “We want to improve their training, we want to help the police. We don’t want to see this happen again,” Hobart said.

Signs of trouble

Aaron was a high school graduate who loved video games, playing the drums and his laptop computer. But from an early age, his father and brother said, it was clear he would have special challenges.

As a child he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.

A few years ago, his brother Chris Hobart said, Aaron began to become delusional. He believed there was a “single world order.” He communicated with people who thought the same things on the Internet.

In 2007, things reached a head. Aaron was pulled over by police for a traffic violation. When they asked him questions they realized something was wrong and took him to a hospital for treatment. His father said he was there for 17 days.

Aaron eventually got a job as a YMCA lifeguard. He started taking classes at a community college. He went to church. The family started to do things together again.

In the last few weeks, Aaron started to have trouble again. He stopped cutting his nails and refused his medication. Steve was alarmed when Aaron told him he was God.

Aaron’s mother, Pam Hobart, told police that on Feb. 18, a psychiatrist advised her to call 911 for a “crisis intervention team,” said family attorney Tommy Gillaspie. It was the first time they ever called 911 for help. Aaron wasn’t violent, his family said.

Steve was in Aaron’s room trying to persuade him to take the drugs. Gillaspie said Pam opened the door to Estrada. The officer walked into the house, and Aaron somehow realized he was there and ran out of his room. Steve remembers crying, “Here he comes!”

Gillaspie said the 19-year-old began flailing his arms at the officer, who pushed him off, pulled his gun and threatened to shoot .

Pam turned away for a split second, the attorney said. Estrada shot six times, hitting Aaron four times on his right side. A fifth bullet ricocheted and lodged in his body.

Steve ran out of the room and heard his wife screaming. Aaron was lying face down on the ground.

Steve put a hand on a bullet hole in Aaron’s neck. A newly arrived officer helped flip Aaron over and together they began doing CPR. The family believes Aaron died before he reached the hospital.

What is required

Estrada, 23, had 16 hours of “crisis intervention training,” according to state records. That is the minimum mental health intervention training required under Texas officer licensing rules. He has been an officer for less than two years.

Police officers can receive a state “mental health officer” certification after taking an additional 40-hour course.

Local mental health advocates say 16 hours is not always enough for first responders who need to learn complex techniques to defuse a psychiatric crisis.

Many large Texas police departments have expanded mental health training . Houston requires new officers to take a 40-hour course , said Lt. Mike Lee, head of HPD’s mental health unit.

“Every officer in the state has at least some training,” Lee said. “But in smaller agencies it’s kind of a hardship to provide 40 hours of training.”

Stafford police spokesman Raphael Virata said he wasn’t sure whether new officers underwent special mental health training or how many mental health officers the 43-officer department has on staff.

“We follow what the state standards dictate.”

Coping and praying

The last week has been hard on the Hobart family. Pam had to take valium and be sedated. Steve said he still thinks the family has four members sometimes. Then he catches himself.

Steve has been busying himself with planning a memorial service scheduled for Thursday at Memorial United Drive Methodist Church.

Last week, he met with a small group at his church. They prayed for Aaron and the Hobart family.

And they prayed that the officer who killed Aaron will somehow find peace.

moises.mendoza@chron.com