Family and friends of the man shot and killed in West Palm Beach after police say he crashed through a school gate said mental health played a role.Investigators said 33-year-old Phelps crashed a van through the main gates of Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts on Friday while class was in session. Students tell WPBF 25 News they were in fear for their lives and were forced to find places to hide during this incident.Stay informed: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsPolice said Phelps, a class of 2007 graduate of Dreyfoos School of the Arts, then drove through a breezeway, nearly hitting a staff member before crashing into a palm tree."The driver of that van immediately got out of the van and was acting erratically, running around the in-session campus,” said Mike Jachles, public information officer for the West Palm Beach Police Department.After being confronted by a school resource officer and the principal, another off-duty West Palm Beach police officer arrived for backup. At that point, Phelps ran into the auditorium where there a struggle ensued.Then, the off-duty officer shot and killed Phelps. No one else was hurt in the incident.Jachles said he doesn’t know exactly what led to the shooting or whether Phelps had a weapon, but he said Phelps endangered everyone at the school and deadly force was the only option."An intruder on a school campus crashing through gates, acting erratically and violent nonetheless, is going to be dealt with appropriately,” Jachles said.The public high school, located on South Sapodilla Avenue, was originally on a "code red" lockdown after the incident at 11:58 a.m. It later went on a "code yellow" lockdown. West Palm Beach police said other officers immediately began CPR in an attempt the resuscitate Phelps. He was pronounced dead on the scene by the West Palm Beach Fire Department. Never miss anything: Sign up for personalized newsletters and alerts from WPBF 25 NewsSchool Superintendent Mike Burke confirmed to WPBF 25 News there was only one school police officer assigned to the school, a female who was filling in for the regular officer.The district is currently short about 65 school police officers and is using sheriff's deputies and city officers to help protect schools. It was also unclear how long the school police officer was with the suspect and whether she had an opportunity to detain and handcuff him before the West Palm Beach police officer arrived and fired. The officer is on administrative leave, per protocol. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.Video above: Coverage from the school during lockdownNever miss anything: Sign up for personalized newsletters and alerts from WPBF 25 NewsReaction from Phelps' friendsFamily and friends of Phelps said mental health issues played a direct role in what happened at the school on Friday. They also said they disagree with the police department that deadly force was the only option."He was a dear friend of mine and I wished he could have had a different outcome," said Skyler Meany, who has been friends with Phelps since their freshman year of high school. "I feel horrible for the students and the fear that they were going through, but I would like for them to know that he was not a monster and he didn’t want to hurt them."Meany doesn't think Phelps intended to hurt anyone but himself."He didn’t deserve to die," Meany said. "I can’t help but feel like there was an alternative. I wish it didn’t have to happen that way. I don’t know the details of what transpired or how it transpired but I wish it could have ended differently. He was somebody in need of help."Meany described Phelps as the life of the party."Everybody knew him and everybody loved him and anytime he went somewhere he had a smile on that just lit up the room and brought everybody together," Meany said.Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramJermaine Williams has been Phelps' friend since elementary school.“I don’t think lethal force should be the first action to take in that situation,” Williams said. "It's just surreal, really....because I feel for the students who were here and didn’t know what was going on and also don’t understand the situation. I believe if the police officer would have known him then maybe the police officer would have taken different actions."Abeni Matthews has been Phelps' friend for the last few years."He was always very sweet and charismatic, very easy going personality and always very fun to be around and always cracking jokes and making everyone laugh," Matthews said. "He was just the kind of person where he would literally just walk into a room and the whole room would just light up with his presence."Matthews also feels that more could have been done "to just subdue the situation."“I personally feel that more should have been done," Matthews said. "I feel that they shouldn’t have used force right away but maybe they could have subdued him or tased him or something, just kind of calmed him down before taking any other action and if they’d done any of that maybe he would still be here."Kirby Lanier has been friends with Phelps since middle school."I have always known Romen to be a loving and kind person," Lanier said. "He always had a smile on his face and was full of life. Your Dreyfoos High School family loves you Romen, our wonderful memories of you and who we know you to be will continue on in our hearts forever." Lynn McKeel is Romen's friend."Romen was my friend and his death is hard to process. Romen was kind and selfless. He was incredibly hard-working and talented. He was a technician, an electrician, an artist, and a poet. He was passionate about the arts and his relationships. He was committed to his family and was a dedicated and loving son and brother. Romen saw beauty in everything and wanted to share that beauty with the world. He was a poet, a troubadour, and a thespian. In high school he won awards for his contributions to the arts." Share with us: Upload your photos and videos via uLocal