A young man, armed with a knife, was needlessly gunned down in “medieval” fashion by Detroit police officers during a mental health crisis, his family said Thursday.

Loved ones of 22-year-old Porter Burks said they will file a wrongful death lawsuit against police as soon as a probate court appoints the young man’s mother, Quieauna Wilson, as head of his estate.

“The idea that we should treat mental illness with the police and guns is medieval,” family attorney Geoffrey Fieger told reporters.

“That’s what they used to do in medieval times, chain people up to the wall in an insane asylum. Well, we have now graduated to executing them with firing squads.”

Burks had a 3 1/2-inch folding knife, Fieger said, before the young man was hit by at least 15 of 38 rounds fired at him within three seconds before dawn on Sunday morning.

The family claims he was far from police when he was struck by the volley of shots, perhaps as much as 46 feet away.

Detroit Police Chief James White released partial body-camera footage on Tuesday, showing his officers speaking to Burks on Sunday on a street in the city’s west side.

For several minutes, officers appeared to be patient with the young man, asking him to drop the knife so they could chat or give him a ride home.

When Burks refused to drop the knife, an officer calmly asked: “Can I ask why not?”

For much of the chat on the darkened street block, Burks and officers appeared to be at least two house lots apart.

© Provided by NBC News Porter Burks (Courtesy Geoffrey N. Fieger)

“I don’t want to talk,” the young man appeared to say. “I just want to get some rest.”

The video released by police didn’t show the moment he was fatally struck. But Burks appeared to be waving his hands above his head and moving quickly toward officers before police gunfire erupted.

“Very tragic situation,” White said. “Certainly, again, not the desired outcome. Again my condolences to the Burks family. This is not what we wanted.”

White insisted officers were doing their best to help Burks. Five officers have been put on routine, administrative leave, following the shooting.

“The officers were trying to negotiate with him,” White said. “And without provocation he charged the officer with a knife in hand, gaining ground on them very quickly and in fear of their life, they fired their weapons to stop the threat.”

A representative for Detroit police could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

Fieger said the footage released by police doesn’t fully or accurately show the entire confrontation.

Officers handcuffed the mortally wounded Burks and “dumped him off” at Sinai-Grace Hospital and didn’t tell doctors what had just happened, according to the family attorney.

“(Officers) just left him there, with his father, and other family members.” Fieger said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com