ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP — The family of Rosalie Martin — the 4-year old girl killed during last month’s shooting in St. Clair Township — continues to call for change in the wake of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, Brenda Carey, Rosalie’s maternal grandmother, started petitions on change.org calling for “comprehensive training for police officers in residential and business areas” and for “extensive training for police officers when handling suicidal suspects.”

The petitions come on the heels of the release of body cam footage from officers who were at the scene when the shooting unfolded on St. Clair Avenue near the Huntington Bank and the Dentistry for Children and Teens. Rosalie was in the dentist office when a stray bullet pierced a window pane and struck her in the head. She later died at East Liverpool City Hospital awaiting life flight.

“It is in the wake of this horrific incident that I plea for a systemic change in the form of better training for our police officers in residential and business areas,” Carey wrote.

The body cam footage shows the moments when police officers confronted a Wellsville man — a diagnosed schizophrenic who was reportedly suicidal — just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 22. The footage also shows law enforcement firing first at Joe Como, 30, who is standing in front of the dentist office when he is shot.

Carey cites the Washington Post’s Fatal Force database that show “nearly one-in-four people killed by police suffer from mental health issues.” She insists that data indicates an urgent need for officers to receive specialized training in dealing with such individuals.

“Comprehensive training can drastically improve outcomes in these encounters,” Carey wrote. “It equips officers with skills to identify signs of mental distress, to understand the potential danger of the situation, to de-escalate that danger, and most importantly, to avoid unnecessary harm to bystanders. Such measures can ensure our law enforcement handles these incidents more tactfully and prevents any future tragedies.”

Carey also cites a 2019 review by the National Institute of Justice that makes note of “law enforcement’s lack of sufficient training for real-world interactions and crisis management.”

Carey wrote that “it is clear that our officers require comprehensive training to safeguard our communities effectively.”

She asks for the implementation of better police awareness when confronting suspects in public spaces.

“We must ensure that no family has to suffer the loss my family did,” Carey wrote. “Let’s implement comprehensive police officer training in residential and business areas to prevent the unnecessary loss of lives.”

St. Clair Police Chief Brian McKenzie said last week when releasing the body cam footage that he cannot make any conclusions until after the investigation, which is being handled by the Ohio Highway State Patrol, is complete but his officers and police officers around the country are trained to deploy deadly force when a suspect pulls a gun.

Como was armed when Officer Dakota Wetzel and Detective Chase Askounes made contact with him. After Como was shot, he fired back, hitting Wetzel in the head. Wetzel was life-flighted to a Pittsburgh area hospital where he continues to recover. Como later died from mutiple gunshots wounds.

Carey’s petitions follows two online petitions created by Rosalie’s mother in the days following her daughter’s death. Martin’s petitions call for free universal mental health care and enhanced preventive measures and the mandate of bulletproof glass as well as staff safety training in all child care institutions.