Tampa Veterans Helpline May Expand Statewide

Veterans help line program might expand statewide
Tampa Bay Rich Shopes
Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 5, 2015

Tampa Bay has one of Florida's highest concentrations of veterans. Hillsborough and Pinellas alone are home to nearly 170,000 vets, more than double that of Miami-Dade.

TAMPA — A support line that has counseled hundreds of Tampa Bay area veterans since its launch last year may be expanded statewide under a bill moving through the state Legislature.

Begun in late October at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, the Florida Veterans' Care Coordination Program has so far counseled more than 500 vets on issues from substance abuse to chronic unemployment to post-traumatic stress disorder.

"This is about veterans helping veterans," said Bruce Grant, who helped launch the pilot program in Tampa last year as chairman of the Statewide Veterans Advisory Council.

Grant said the program operates under the Crisis Center but employs a separate toll-free line — 1-844-MYFLVET (693-5838) — to connect veterans to services. The line is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The bill would expand the Tampa Bay program to Florida's 13 other crisis centers, effectively blanketing the state.

"Most veterans out there are not asking for a handout," McPherson said. "They're just asking for a hand up."
read more here

Tampa Fake Veteran Gets Lesson At MacDill Air Force Base

Veteran tells panhandler to "take off my uniform!" after discovering he's a fake
ABC Action News
Bill Logan
Mar 30, 2015

It's a story of stolen valor: A panhandler purporting to be a combat veteran asking for money from passing motorists.

All until a Tampa man started asking questions and not getting the kind of answers he liked.

"Show me your veterans ID card,” asked a worked-up Garrett Goodwin on a video he uploaded to his Facebook page Sunday.

"I don't have one, sir," replied the still-unidentified and nowhere-to-be-found man wearing an Army uniform and a high-visibility vest while panhandling at the corner of Dale Mabry and Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa.

"Then take off my uniform!" replied Garrett, who served as an Army combat medic from 1994 through 2003.
read more here

Mar 29, 2015
Veteran Garrett Goodwin confronts a fake Veteran outside Macdill AFB. The fake claimed he was former Special Forces and his missions so secret that the VA doesn't even acknowledge he exists.

The fake was soliciting money from people using his fake Veteran status.

Reservist's Suicide Hits Tampa Hard

Tampa reservist’s suicide brings home tragedy
Tampa Bay Online
By Howard Altman
Published: February 22, 2015

TAMPA — Why?

The story of Brunette’s life speaks volumes about the difficulty of dealing with veteran suicides, say her family and friends.

That’s the question the family and friends of Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette are struggling to answer.

At 30, Brunette seemingly had it all. A vivacious and attractive athlete and scholar, she had been lauded by the Air Force for her work in Afghanistan, was a partner in a fitness center about to open in Largo and was known by her family and friends as being the strong one always ready to help others.

But for some reason, Brunette, who left active duty after 11 years last June and joined the Air Force Reserve, couldn’t help herself.

On Feb. 9, Tampa police found her slumped over in the back of her locked Chrysler 200 sedan outside a Harbour Island cafe near her apartment. Police say it appears she killed herself with her Smith and Wesson .380 handgun, which she purchased about six months earlier.

Now family and friends are trying to come to grips with the pain behind Brunette’s effervescent smile that caused her to become one of the 22 veterans a day who take their own lives, according to a 2012 Department of Veterans Affairs study. It’s a problem that’s vexing both the military and the VA, which are struggling to find ways to prevent suicides.

According to a study published this month in the medical journal Annals of Epidemiology, the nearly 1.3 million veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2007 had a 41 percent to 61 percent higher risk of suicide than the general population, with 1,868 committing suicide during that time period. And while female veterans were far less likely than men to commit suicide, when compared to those who never served, female veterans were more likely to commit suicide than male veterans.
read more here

Florida Army Iraq Veteran Served Three Decades

South Shore Army veteran served more than three decades 
Tampa Bay Online
Kenneth Hall
Special Correspondent
February 11, 2015

After a year in Iraq, spending time in armored Humvees, M-1 Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles in Baghdad – where the temperature would reach more than 110 degrees in the summer – Jones finds Tampa’s weather almost mild.

APOLLO BEACH – Michael Jones says the most important life lesson he learned during his time in the U.S. Army is the value of teamwork.

“Everything good that gets done in the military is the result of a team effort,” he said.

“From national security policy all the way down to what squads do, you have to have great teamwork. I’m retired from the military and working in the civilian sector and it’s the same thing. There are very few things that don’t get done without great teamwork.”

Jones saw the results of teamwork throughout his time in the service, including a year as deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 and most recently as chief of staff at CENTCOM at MacDill Air Force Base.

It was always a team effort. “My whole military career was rewarding, but I would say that my year in Iraq was the most rewarding,” he said. “The 1st Cavalry Division is a really special army unit. There was not a day that went by that I was not honored to serve with the soldiers there who were doing amazing things every day.”

Jones was transferred to MacDill Air Force Base in 2008. It quickly became his favorite duty station. read more here

Remains of Army Air Forces 1st Lt. James F. Gatlin of Jacksonville Home

Remains of fallen Florida aviator make it home after 70 years 
Tampa Bay Times
By Josh Solomon
Times Staff Writer
January 28, 2015

Four generations of a family gathered on the tarmac of Tampa International Airport Wednesday to welcome home the remains of a long-lost relative.

Nearly 70 years after being shot down over Germany during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. James F. Gatlin of Jacksonville was coming home. "We've been waiting for this to happen," said Janda Fussell, 45, of Lithia, granddaughter of Gatlin's oldest surviving first cousin, Wilma Gatlin Shiver, 89.

Fussell never met Gatlin, obviously, but when she read about him and his death, she said she wept. 

"Even though we didn't know him, we've sort of invested ourselves in him. Especially since he was such a hero." Gatlin was co-piloting a B-26C Marauder on Dec. 23, 1944, when German fighters intercepted the plane on its way back from a bombing mission and shot it.

The plane caught fire and crashed near Ahrweiler, a west-German town, south of Cologne and west of Frankfurt, killing Gatlin. He was 25. read more here

PTSD Iraq Veteran With Service Dog Get Apology from Tampa

City of Tampa forced to make changes after a veteran's service dog was kicked out of a park 
ABC News
Alex Hobson
Jan 28, 2015

TAMPA, Fla. - A local veteran has received a formal letter of apology from the City of Tampa after an investigation found city staff ordered him to remove his service dog from a public park, which violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"It started off like a normal day," Cesar Silva recalls.

It was June 16, 2013. Silva had gone to Picnic Island Park with his service dog, Sophia, when he says a city parks and recreation worker approached.

"A maintenance man pulls up and says, 'Hey you're not allowed to be there in the water.' I go, 'Well I'm a disabled veteran, and she's my service animal.' He says, 'I don't care, still a dog, no dogs are allowed,'" Silva said.

But to him, Sophia is much more than just a dog. Silva is an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD along with some mobility issues. Anywhere he goes, so does she.
read more here

Combat Wounded Staff Sgt. Tavera Retired From Army

Wounded vet given several standing ovations in retirement sendoff 
Tampa Bay Times
Rich Shopes Times
Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2015

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence gave a tribute Friday to Staff Sgt. Joel Tavera, here with his parents, Maritza and Jose Tavera. Joel Tavera was badly injured in a rocket attack. Rich Shopes, Times

TAMPA — Joel Tavera was five months into his deployment in Iraq when a rocket ripped into the vehicle he was riding in, killing everyone except Tavera and another soldier.

Burns covered 60 percent of Tavera's body. Exploding shrapnel and the blast's concussion left him with severe brain trauma that took his sight. His right leg was amputated below the knee. He lost several fingers. Doctors weren't sure he'd survive the trip to a hospital in San Antonio.

"Against all odds he recovered from injuries that most people wouldn't have survived from," said Dr. Steven Scott, who specializes in traumatic brain injuries at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa.

Enduring more than 75 surgeries, Tavera, 27, became an inspiration to other wounded vets, as well as doctors, nurses and just about anyone he encountered.

"He's one of the most positive people you'll ever meet," said Taylor Urruela, a former Army sergeant who lost his right leg to an improvised explosive device in 2006. "And it comes through right away, as soon as you meet him."

On Friday, Staff Sgt. Tavera officially retired from the Army. The Army, in turn, wasn't about to let Tavera go quietly. Top brass organized a send off at Haley replete with commendations, letters of proclamation, including one from President Obama, and more than a few heartfelt tributes.
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Wounded Iraq Veteran Getting Dream Wedding Day

Community steps up for wounded warrior’s wedding
Tampa Bay Online
Tribune Staff Ronnie Blair
Published: September 12, 2014

Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Krista Rosado

ODESSA — The explosion happened as Jacob Leach drove a Humvee in the area of Ramadi, Iraq.

An improvised explosive device made from two 155mm shells had been planted along his route. The IED could be detonated remotely with the push of a button.

Someone pushed the button.

“It lifted the vehicle up and put us back down,” Leach said.

The concussion rattled his brain and left him with some loss of hearing, but he and the other two soldiers aboard the Humvee survived and walked away. The destroyed Humvee required a tow.

For Leach, a disabled veteran, it was just another day in Iraq, where he spent 15 months.

The folks at Old McMicky’s Farm, though, think his service is worth celebrating. They chose Leach and his fiancee, Brittany Polinsky, to receive the farm’s $40,000 “Mission I Do” prize package, which includes a wedding dress, rings, wedding cake, entertainment and reception.

The farm teamed up with Vincent Jackson, a wide receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and several local businesses to provide the prize package, which originally was valued at $25,000 but grew as more businesses added their support.

“The fact the community came together for something like this is amazing,” Leach said. “They have done nothing but make our lives easy.”

The wedding will be at the farm Nov. 16.
read more here

VA Contractor Put Veterans Info in Hands of Tampa Criminal

Man accused of stealing Haley VA patient ID info
Tampa Bay Times
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Friday, August 22, 2014

VA policy requires a criminal background check for employees. It is unclear if that policy extends to contractors. The VA revamped rules concerning document shredding in 2008 after investigators found that agency employees improperly destroyed veteran claim documents.

TAMPA — The documents with the Social Security numbers of veterans treated at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center were supposed to be shredded by a company whose website warns, "Don't become a victim of identity theft."

But the firm, federal prosecutors say, employed a 24-year-old with a criminal history who kept those records out of the shredder, instead selling them to individuals who used the documents to file fraudulent tax returns.

Federal marshals on Wednesday arrested Willie Streater of E Hamilton Avenue in Tampa on eight charges accusing him of stealing the Social Security numbers of at least 34 veterans treated at Haley in 2011 and 2012. Prosecutors say $1.1 million was stolen.

It is the second case filed since 2013 charging someone with stealing identifying information of veterans treated at Haley.

Streater worked for Secure Waste Disposal Inc. of Orlando, a company under contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs to shred documents at the North Tampa hospital, prosecutors say. The indictment did not say what kind of patient records were involved in the case.
read more here

Tampa Nam Knights Get PTSD Veteran Back on Bike

Bikers refurbish disabled veteran's stolen motorcycle
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2014

TAMPA — Army veteran Paul Rivera said he was planning to sell his $10,000 customized motorcycle before it was stolen from outside his Tampa apartment on June 18. But he's got it back. And he just might keep it forever.

"I'm never going to get rid of it now," Rivera said.

With the help of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and others, the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club Westside Chapter presented Rivera with his newly refurbished 2005 Honda CBR 600 at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum Saturday.

After thieves stole the Honda, they nearly ruined it by trying to hide its orange and red colors by painting it black. Parts were missing and the bike's body was damaged. Even the seat was missing.

"Of course, it's not their bike," said Hillsborough Deputy Buddy Rudolph. "They stole it. So they don't take the best care of it."

After the bike was recovered on July 3 and thieves arrested, Hillsborough deputies decided to get the Honda repaired for Rivera, who is a disabled Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here

Report from LA Times brings rare PTSD fakers to headline news that isn't

Before you read this article, notice the uptick in VA PTSD claims.

The increase started around the time most veterans had access to the internet.

In 2007 there was a report about 148,000 Vietnam veterans seeking help from the VA for PTSD for the first time.

In the past 18 months, 148,000 Vietnam veterans have gone to VA centers reporting symptoms of PTSD "30 years after the war," said Brig. Gen. Michael S. Tucker, deputy commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He recently visited El Paso.

This is from the article on LA Times making the claim of veterans faking PTSD for financial gain.

"A 2007 study of 74 Arkansas veterans with chronic PTSD, most of them from the Vietnam War, concluded that more than half were exaggerating symptoms. Other research has found little evidence of malingering."

That is the biggest problem when someone claims something is happening, there are always other researchers disproving what was claimed. Do some lie? Sure but most veterans won't seek help because they were accused of faking while in the military, as we've seen repeated for decades and the twisted concept of what the general public believes PTSD to be.

If you're a Vietnam veteran you'll remember all the reports about "crazy Vietnam veterans" being arrested for the same things they have Veterans Courts for now.

Read the article and notice how this report was twisted around to prove a point instead of prove the number of fakers is more important that taking care of disabled veterans needing help but still not getting it. Suicides went up after the government did more to take care of them for a reason. They wanted help but the help they received has not worked in too many parts of the country.

As disability awards grow, so do concerns with veracity of PTSD claims
LA Times
By ALAN ZAREMBO
August 3, 2014

Thee 49-year-old veteran explained that he suffered from paranoia in crowds, nightmares and unrelenting flashbacks from the Iraq war. He said he needed his handgun to feel secure and worried that he would shoot somebody.

The symptoms were textbook post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Robert Moering, the psychologist conducting the disability examination at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa, Fla., suspected the veteran was exaggerating. Hardly anybody had so many symptoms of PTSD so much of the time.

As disability awards for PTSD have grown nearly fivefold over the last 13 years, so have concerns that many veterans might be exaggerating or lying to win benefits. Moering, a former Marine, estimates that roughly half of the veterans he evaluates for the disorder exaggerate or fabricate symptoms.

PTSD disability Depending on severity, veterans with PTSD can receive up to $3,000 a month tax-free, making the disorder the biggest contributor to the growth of a disability system in which payments have more than doubled to $49 billion since 2002.

"It's an open secret that a large chunk of patients are flat-out malingering," said Christopher Frueh, a University of Hawaii psychologist who spent 15 years treating PTSD in the VA system. read the rest here

Last question is: Why would a reporter from LA interview a doctor in Tampa about Combat PTSD claims when there are so many in California? Did Alan Zarembo have to search from coast to coast to find doctors agreeing with what he wanted to report on?

Bucs host Combat Wounded, Veteran Gave Purple Heart

Veteran spreads hope, handing over Purple Heart to Bucs
WTSP
Chris Fischer
August 3, 2014

Frey reminisces of that time in his life "There was just so many bad things that happened that day, we tried to go in and save him and that's when I got shot in my arm. It was just the fog of war clearing houses in Fallujah. I really thought I was a goner."

Frey received the first purple heart in 2004, following a RPG attack in Fallujah; yet the second nearly took his life just two weeks prior to returning home. Still haunting him to this day is when his friend, Hudson native, Lance Corporal Josh Dickinson went into a house to battle insurgents.

Severely bleeding, Frey required 6 blood transfusions and 22 operations to repair his right arm.

At that point, Frey thought he wasn't going to come home.

But Friday night, Frey felt right at home, as the Bucs honored wounded warriors at their annual night practice. The story of his grand gesture fresh in the minds of the Bucs players and staff.
read more here

Wife's Murder Conviction Gives Colonel Sense of Relief

Mom Guilty of Killing Kids While Husband Deployed
Tampa Tribune
by Elaine Silvestrini
May 16, 2014

TAMPA -- Apologizing profusely, Julie Schenecker wept Thursday night as she told a judge she believes the two children she shot to death "are in no pain and they are alive and enjoying everything and anything heaven has to offer, Jesus protecting them and keeping them safe until we get there."

Schenecker had just been convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the Jan. 27, 2011, slayings of her children, Calyx, 16, and Beau, 13. Jurors took less than three hours to reach their verdict, rejecting defense arguments that Schenecker was insane at the time she shot her children.

Following Schenecker's emotional statement, Circuit Judge Emmet Lamar Battles, saying the case was "almost too much for most to comprehend," sentenced her to the mandatory sentence of two life terms without parole.

Schenecker's former husband, Parker Schenecker, told reporters afterward that the verdict "gives my family a sense of relief."

The retired Army colonel, who was on deployment in the Middle East when his children were murdered, thanked the Tampa community for its support in the past three years.

"While this decision doesn't bring my children back," he said, "it does give my family an opportunity to move forward and honor their memory with the important work that we've been doing with Calyx and Beau Schenecker Memorial Fund, and remembering how they lived."
read more here

Veterans Going Homeless in Tampa Increase

Number of homeless veterans in the area spikes
Tampa Tribune
By Keith Morelli
Tribune Staff
Published: May 11, 2014

TAMPA — The federal government has a stated goal of eliminating homelessness for veterans by 2015, and although that aim might never be attainable, significant progress has been made nationally. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 57,849 homeless veterans in a single January night in 2013, an 8 percent decline from the previous year and a 24 percent decrease since 2009.

In the Tampa Bay area, the numbers are not so rosy. Instead of dropping, the number of homeless veterans is swelling significantly, according to a February survey of theHillsborough County homeless. The results showed a slight drop in the number of homeless — but a 47 percent bump in the number of homeless veterans and their families, from 170 last year to 250 this year.

Homeless veterans accounted for 11 percent of the homeless population in Hillsborough County, and the spike in their numbers wiped out substantial decreases among other demographics, the survey concluded.

The survey’s results are not surprising, homeless advocates said. They say more military veterans serving overseas are coming home as the drawdown in Afghanistan and elsewhere continues, and the Tampa Bay region is a place where a wide range of services, including veterans hospitals, is available.

“We will have over 250,000 veterans discharged into the state of Florida this year,” said Sara Romeo, executive director of Tampa Crossroads, which offers veterans assistance programs, including transitional and permanent housing options. “That’s a high number of discharges, or soldiers returning.’’
read more here

Colonel's wife on trial for 2011 murder of teenagers

Florida military mom on trial for killing her teenagers
Associated Press
Published April 28, 2014

TAMPA, Fla. – A military wife whose husband was deployed to the Middle East shot her 13-year-old son twice in the head for talking back, authorities said, then returned home and shot her 16-year-old daughter in the face as she studied.

Now she's on trial, and whether she spends life in prison hinges on a key question for jurors: After years of profound mental illness, was she unable to realize what she did was wrong, as her defense attorneys say? Or did she plan the January 2011 killings over at least several days, as prosecutors say, complaining at one point that the three-day wait to buy a gun would "delay the massacre"?

Jury selection began Monday morning in Julie Scheneker's case. She is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Those on the jury will see many disturbing images and hear hours of troubling evidence. They will see several sides to Schenecker, a former military linguist and wife of a colonel.
read more here

Deployed Colonel’s wife killed son and daughter in Tampa FL

Slain Tampa Palms children remembered fondly

Westboro Group ready to protest funeral for murdered children

Two Fort Hood slain soldiers return to Florida

Two fallen Fort Hood soldiers to be buried locally, honored as heroes
Bay News 9
By Jason Lanning/Josh Rojas, Team Coverage
Last Updated: Friday, April 11, 2014

Tampa International Airport firefighters held a water cannon salute for the plane that brought Lazaney-Rodriguez’ body to Tampa from Texas.

TAMPA
Two of the three soldiers killed in last week's Fort Hood shootings will be buried locally.

The body of Staff Sgt. Carlos A. Lazaney-Rodriguez arrived at Tampa International Airport Friday afternoon.

Lazaney-Rodriguez, 38, originally from Puerto Rico, was months away from retiring after 20 years of service.

Tampa International Airport firefighters held a water cannon salute for the plane that brought Lazaney-Rodriguez’ body to Tampa from Texas. His family held a private ceremony on the tarmac.

More than 100 Patriot Guard Riders also showed up at the airport to show their respects for the soldier.

"It's just an honor to be here for them. I'm sad that I do. I'd much rather me shaking their hand than saluting their coffin,” said Randall McNabb, Patriot Guard Riders.
read more here

UPDATE

Mourners gather for funeral of Ill. soldier killed at Fort Hood
Chicago Tribune
Tribune wire reports
April 12, 2014

ROLLA, Mo.— Mourners gathered in Rolla, Missouri on Saturday for the funeral of an Iraq war veteran killed in a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army base earlier this month. Friends and family of Timothy Owens, 37, a native of Effingham, Illinois, attended a private service at First Baptist Church.

Outside the church, several dozen motorcyclists, many of them veterans, prepared to escort the hearse to the cemetery.

Veteran Frank Reinhart said the mission of the Patriot Guard Riders was to ensure dignity at memorial services for fallen military, something his generation missed after returning from the Vietnam War.

"You go through little towns and see people with their hands over their hearts, it's very moving," Reinhart said, adding that the group aims "to see that the family gets support and a little bit of honor."

Two other soldiers died in the attack this month - Daniel Ferguson, 39, of Mulberry, Florida, and Carlos Lazaney Rodriguez, 38, of Puerto Rico. Their funerals will be held on Monday in Florida.
read more here

Over 100 Veterans' identities traded for crack at Tampa VA

Former VA worker gets six years for trading IDs for crack
ABC News WZVN
Posted: Mar 06, 2014

TAMPA, FL
A former employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs was sentenced to six years in federal prison Thursday morning for the theft of more than 100 veterans' personal information.

U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez-Covington sentenced David F. Lewis for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents and testimony presented in court, Lewis was an employee at the Tampa VA Medical Center.

On at least five different dates in 2012, Lewis accessed and printed the personal information, including names, social security numbers, and medical information of over 100 veterans who were in-patients at the Tampa VA Medical Center.
read more here

PTSD on Trial: Tampa Green Beret with Bronze Star

Special forces sniper Gabriel Brown given short prison term after citing PTSD in series of robberies
ABC Action News
By: Carson Chambers
January 23, 2014

TAMPA - "He wasn't just a soldier. He was a super soldier - an elite fighter," said defense attorney Jose Baez.

Gabriel Brown is a highly decorated combat war veteran. He is a former Special Forces Green Beret awarded a bronze star for serving as a sniper in Afghanistan.

A hero until he came home.

"Because of his illness, he had a downward spiral," said Baez.

Brown pleaded guilty to robbing four Tampa Bay businesses while tossing military flash grenades and carrying a gun. He faced a maximum of 32 years in federal prison for his crimes.

"I do believe that veterans do need treatment. Instead of being incarcerated, they need mental health treatment and drug abuse treatment," said ex wife Maria Suarez.

Suarez says post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD and an addiction to adrenaline took over her ex husband's life. Brown failed out of nursing school, lost money at poker tables, cheated on his wife, abused drugs and became suicidal.

Still Suarez voice support on the steps of the federal courthouse.

"He's a loving man, very caring, great father, always involved with his childrens' life, very family oriented, just fell into some depression or PTSD," she said.
read more here

One dead, one injured during shooting at Lone Survivor Movie in Tampa

UPDATE
Retired officer charged with killing man over texting

One dead, one injured in shooting in Tampa-area cinema
USA TODAY
Doug Stanglin, and John Bacon
January 13, 2014

One person was killed and one wounded Monday in a shooting inside a Florida movie theater following a quarrel over texting, WTSP-TV reported.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said a male was taken into custody after a good Samaritan detained the suspect until deputies arrived at Cobb Theatres Grove 16 and CineBistro in Wesley Chapel.

An argument started when the male victim was texting during the previews before a showing of Lone Survivor, Nocco said.The male suspect, who was sitting behind the couple, took out a gun and shot them both, Nocco said.

"It's absolutely crazy it would rise to this level over somebody just texting," Nocco said.

The victims were airlifted to a Bay area hospital, where the man died and the woman was reported to have non-life threatening injuries. Investigators describe the shooting as an "isolated incident."
read more here

Combat PTSD on trial in Tampa

Matthew's Dad reached out to Wounded Times for help in December.
PTSD on Trial: Marine Veteran's Dad pleads for help for all veterans with PTSD

Attorney: PTSD led to deputy shooting
MyFOX Tampa
Gloria Gomez
January 7, 2014

TAMPA (FOX 13)
Matthew Buendia is about to go on trial for attempted murder after shooting a deputy two years ago.

But long before the shooting, the former Marine was diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Doctors say it was from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Buendia saw combat, saw other people die in front of him," O'Brien said.

Then came the encounter that got him in trouble. In September of 2011, Deputy Lyonelle De Veaux showed up to Buendia's apartment to investigate claims he was beating his girlfriend.

Buendia fired nine shots at her, hitting her three times.

And she remembers what Buendia was worried about moments before the shooting.

"He asked me about a dog," De Veaux said.

O'Brien says Buendia had a dog Afghanistan that became his constant companion.

"His unit took in a dog that unfortunately had to be put down, and Matthew was the one who killed it," O'Brien said. "His unbelievable concern about a dog prior to him firing a weapon, it shows you he had no idea what he was doing."

O'Brien says what it all adds up to is this: Buendia is not a cold-blooded cop-killer.

"If Matthew Buendia did not suffer from PTSD and simply shot a police officer like Dontae Morris, then I completely understand saying he needs to take responsibility for it," O'Brien said.

Dr. Jeremy Gaies is a licensed psychologist who says when it comes to PTSD, anything can trigger a flashback. read more here