Police vs Veterans

UPDATE
Add Gregory Smith to the list.

Father of US Army vet who was shot and killed discusses his son's PTSD
KVIA ABC News
Alec Schreck, Alec Schreck
Sep 21, 2014

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico
Gregory Smith says he tried for years to get his son to seek treatment from the VA for his PTSD. Smith told KVIA that his son William Smith served in the Army from 2003-2007. He said his son was not the same when he returned from his second tour.

Following several years of difficulty where the younger Smith struggled with PTSD, several criminal arrests and the use of illegal street drugs, former US Army Sergeant William Smith was shot and killed by a New Mexico state policeman on Friday.
read more here

Jacinto Zavala was killed by police officers and they have been cleared. Never a good ending for the veteran or the officers. This one is more tragic because Greeley Police Chief said "I am both saddened and angry that this individual put our young officers and their families through this. I am equally sad that he inflicted pain on his own family members." Didn't he feel sad that after a 21 year old veteran reached the point where he wanted to die? It happened in August and the headline read "Man fatally shot by police in Greeley"

It happened in September to "Jeffrey Johnson, the 33-year-old father and veteran killed during an officer-involved shooting" after his wife called police to help her husband.

It happened in August when six bullets ended life of Marine Cpl. Allan DeVillena II when he was 22.

In July

A Kentucky National Guardsman served two tours in Iraq. Justin Neil Davis was only 24. His last tour ended when he was 22 in 2012. Davis knew he was having problems. He had been in the VA rehab for 30 days but as it turned out, it didn't make that much of a difference.

And in Kansas

Police say Icarus Randolph charged at an officer with a knife after they were called to the scene by family for a report of a suicidal person. The family said the man was in the military and had done tours in Iraq. He had been dealing with mental issues prior to this incident.

In June
"A psychologist called 911 and said he had just received a call from a patient who was potentially suicidal" and police shot him in his driveway in Denver.

In May

Jerome Christmas died Saturday after a struggle with Shreveport police, and while witnesses said he was acting wild before it happened, his brother knew a completely different person.

Witnesses say they saw Jerome Christmas go crazy, throwing things, getting undressed, talking to himself, and acting as though he was on fire. Christmas' brother Drake said his brother was a veteran who served his country, and suffered from PTSD.

It keeps happening but no one seems bothered by the simple fact when it does, the veterans had gone from risking their lives to facing off with police.

It is sad for the police officers, families and community but the fact this keeps happening should never be forgotten. They lived for others but died because they didn't get the help they needed and were promised for doing a job few others wanted to do.

Suicide claims more than your own life

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 13, 2014

Last night I turned on CNN Soledad O'Brien The war comes home just as the group from Save A Warrior was talking about their program.

One of the veterans with PTSD leading the group talked about his own battle to stay alive. He told the story of how he took his glock, made sure it was loaded, put it to his head, then thought about his kids. He put the gun down. With it still within reach, he called the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline and was on hold for 45 minutes. He kept looking at the gun waiting for someone to talk to. He gave up.

He opted for suicide by cop instead.

His story ended with a young police officer asking him to not fight and he didn't. He was taken to a hospital specializing in PTSD.

There are more stories out there just like his and the program on CNN was necessary since we've seen the number of suicides to up faster than after the Vietnam War. The truth is, most of the suicides are still being done by Vietnam veterans. They are also the bulk of the attempted suicides, homeless veterans, divorces, VA claims and the backlog. On the flip side, they are also the ones taking the lead on helping other veterans heal. After all, they are not just an example of what happens when veterans are wounded by this type of PTSD, they show life does not have to end. It isn't hopeless.

I have a lot of issues with the program. For example focusing on the pre-military lives of veterans does a disservice to them. Everyone has baggage from their youth but those interviewed were resilient enough to not just make it into the military, but through combat deployments as well. Evidently they did not have PTSD caused by their past before the military or they would not have wanted to join or been able to.

One of the speakers said that PTSD is not in his head but in his heart. Again, not a great thing to say since the heart pumps blood but the brain feeds everything. Emotions are centered in the brain causing the entire system to react to what PTSD does. They cannot understand flashbacks and nightmares, anxiety or jumping nerves if they do not understand where it is all coming from.

If they do not heal right, do not get the help they need by calling the Suicide Prevention Hotline, do not end up with Police Officers understanding the veteran needs help, then we will continue to lose more than anyone is prepared for.

But it isn't just the veterans suffering. Suicide claims more than just the life of veterans. It claims the lives of those who loved them and those who served with them.

Lives cut short by suicide cut down the futures of everyone else. Everyone blames themselves for what they did or did not do. They play the "what if" game in their own heads running every conversation they had searching for what signs they may have missed. They spend the rest of their lives with the image of the coffin believing they should have done something else.

When veterans opt for suicide by cop they claim the futures of police officers being forced to pull the trigger of their own guns. They have no clue in those seconds who they are facing off with and when they find out, it is devastating. The number one job veterans take in civilian life is law enforcement, so many of the officers are veterans as well. They have to live with taking the lives of their own brothers.

We can attempt to calculated the number of suicides but we don't add in suicides by cop, accidents, drug overdoses or any of the others where a veteran has vanished and their bodies are not found.

We can attempt to uncover the true cost of war, but as we've seen with Vietnam Veterans, that price does not come in a handy timeline. Far too often it is decades later when their stories end.

We will never really know the price of any war because the price paid by those we send and others in their lives never ends.

Afghanistan veteran shot and killed by police

Man shot by Spokane deputies was Afghanistan vet
Associated Press
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
February 12, 2014

The Spokesman-Review said Zillmer left the Army in September 2012. A relative told the newspaper that family members suspected he might be suffering from post-traumatic stress but no diagnosis had been made.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man described as a decorated veteran of Afghanistan was shot and killed after a police chase that involved two states.

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said the man was a decorated veteran who had served in Afghanistan.

Authorities haven't released the man's identity, but The Spokesman-Review identified him Wednesday as Jedadiah Zillmer, a 2008 graduate of Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane. The newspaper reported that Zillmer's family and friends confirmed his identity.

Spokane police said the incident began around 7 p.m. Tuesday, when 911 received a call from a man indicating he was suicidal, had weapons and wanted law enforcement officers to kill him.
read more here

Ex-cop who wanted 'suicide by cop' killed by police

Ex-cop who wanted 'suicide by cop' killed by police
By Mari A. Schaefer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
May 31, 2013

It was the former cop's last stand after fleeing police on attempted murder charges

UPPER DARBY, Pa. — When the SWAT team kicked in the door of Room 207 at the Summit Hill Inn in Upper Darby, Anthony Galla was crouched between a bed and a window holding a fully loaded Glock handgun.

He pointed his weapon toward the doorway; Officers fired.

Law enforcement officers knew when they began looking for Galla that the former police officer with military training was heavily armed, was wanted in connection with a shooting, and had talked about committing "suicide by cop."

The four officers shot 52 times, killing Galla, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. Galla did not get off a shot. The incident took five to 10 seconds, Chitwood said.

"This was Galla's last stand," Chitwood said. "There is no doubt he was ready for war."
read more here

Iraq veteran shot by police died in New Orleans Hospital

St. Tammany deputies fatally shoot Iraqi war veteran during armed confrontation
By NOLA.com
The Times-Picayune
on March 09, 2013

St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies fatally shot an Iraqi war veteran Friday night after he allegedly ignored their command to drop his gun during a domestic disturbance, St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain said in a news release. Jason Glover, 32, of Abita Springs died Saturday morning, Strain said.

The deputies were called out to Glover's residence at 28260 Louisiana 435 about 11 p.m. Glover's girlfriend had called 911 and reported that Glover had threatened to kill her and that he was armed with a handgun, Strain said. When deputies arrived at the house, they found the 32-year-old sitting in his car outside the house.

As Glover got out of the car, deputies saw he had a handgun. He allegedly ignored their repeated calls to drop his gun.

Glover instead raised the gun and pointed it directly at one of the deputies, Strain said. The deputy fired at Glover, striking him twice.

Glover was transported to the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans, where he was reported to be on life support Friday night but died Saturday.

"This is truly a tragic situation," Strain said. "Since his return from Iraq, this young man has struggled greatly to adjust and to recover from his experience. Sadly, he and his family were ultimately unable to find the help he truly needed. Today, the thoughts and prayers of the Sheriff's Office go out to this family during their very difficult time."
read more here

Iraq war veteran's death raises issue of post-traumatic stress
By Naomi Martin, NOLA.com
The Times-Picayune
on March 09, 2013

Probably no one will ever know what thoughts were going through Iraqi war veteran Jason Glover’s head when he allegedly pointed a handgun at a St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputy Friday night. Fearing for his life, the deputy shot and killed Glover.

Hearing of the incident on Saturday, however, several military veterans said they suspect Glover knew what he was doing.

“He wanted to do it, but he didn’t want to pull the trigger himself,” said Andrew O’Brien, a 24-year-old Iraqi war veteran who attempted suicide two years ago by swallowing a bottle of pills. “Thank God I didn’t have a gun or I would’ve done that.”

After returning from Iraq, Glover had struggled “greatly” to reintegrate into civilian society, St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain said in a statement. “Sadly, he and his family were ultimately unable to find the help he truly needed.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, whether diagnosed or not, is common among military veterans. An average of 22 veterans -- and one active-duty soldier — take their own lives each day, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
read more here

Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona

Suicidal man shot by police was veteran with PTSD
Posted: Jan 16, 2013
by Sam Salzwedel

TUCSON - A suicidal man shot by police was a veteran receiving treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to his parents.

Dustin Wernli, 30, called 911 Tuesday night saying he wanted an officer to shoot him, according to the Tucson Police Department.

Officers talked to Wernli for about 15 minutes when he pulled a gun and an officer lethally shot him, according to TPD.

Wernli was a Navy medic who was deployed with the Marine Corps in Iraq, according to his father.

He suffered a brain injury from an explosion in 2004. He was receiving treatment from the VA hospital for PTSD, according to Wernli's father.

A veteran commits suicide every 20 minutes, according to Dan Ranieri with La Frontera Arizona.
read more here

also killed Schofield Barracks soldier shot by police

Disturbing Suicide Trend At Fresno National Guard Unit

Disturbing Suicide Trend At Fresno National Guard Unit
KMPH FOX 26
Posted: Oct 16, 2012
By Erik Rosales
By KMPH Web Staff
FRESNO, Calif.

Less than a month after a National Guardsman was shot and killed by Fresno police in an apparent suicide by cop, another member of the same unit has committed suicide.

It's the fifth member of that unit to take his own life in the past two years.

The soldiers belonged to the 1106th TASMG unit in Fresno, a National Guard helicopter maintenance group.

The latest solider suspected of suicide, 29-year-old Sgt. Joseph Kim.

Military officials say Kim's death is still under investigation.

Colonel Myles Williams says, "When I got the notification of the commander of the unit, I thought it was in reference of the previous one, because it's pretty unprecedented that two in one week would occur. I had to mentally adjust and say let's do our process that we have in place."

You may recall, last month 22-year-old Elias Monge walked outside a Fresno home pistol in hand, and Fresno police say wouldn't give up until they shot him, in what became an apparent suicide by cop.
read more here

Suicide-By-Cop Death Linked To National Guard Suicides
KMPH FOX 26
Posted: Sep 25, 2012
By Ashley Ritchie
FRESNO, Calif.

"I heard about it and I don't want to go outside, I'm scared. The neighbors told me go inside. I'm just scared," Veronica Arabia said.

Veronica Arabia lives just two houses down from where 22–year–old Elias Monge walked outside last Wednesday, pistol–grip shotgun in hand, and Fresno police say, wouldn't give up until they shot him, in what became an apparent suicide–by–cop.

"Yeah it worries me," Arabia said.

Monge was a member of the 1106th AVCRAD unit in Fresno.

It's a National Guard helicopter maintenance facility.

And recently it's seen a disturbing trend.

Monge is the fourth member of that unit to allegedly commit suicide since May 2010.

"We're more shocked and concerned that so many soldiers are dying by suicide," 1st Lieutenant William Martin said. "Really one is more than we'd like to see, so three or four is definitely well more than we'd like to see at any particular unit."

464 soldiers make up the 1106th AVCRAD unit. And military officials tell KMPH News their mental health is a top priority.
read more here

Rogers served five years in the Army as a military police officer killed by police

Funeral held Monday for father shot by police

Rogers served five years in the Army as a military police officer.

by KREM.com and Shawn Chitnis
NWCN.com
Posted on October 3, 2011
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash.—The family of James Rogers laid his body to rest Monday after he was shot and killed by Spokane Police September 26th.

Roger was buried at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake after a funeral service, but they are still dealing with a mix of emotions about how he died.

Authorities say a search warrant shows Rogers had a suicide note along with criminal citations and a military baseball hat inside his van.

Rogers’ father still wonders if he could have prevented his son’s death.

"I wish I would have had five more minutes to get there, so I could have hopefully talked him out of that van," Alonzo Rogers said.
read more here

Suicide by cop ended Air Force military police officer vet's life

Friend says woman wanted suicide by cop

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A man who wanted to help a woman after she threatened to kill herself said she wanted to die before she shot a Miami-Dade Police officer and officers returned fire, killing her.

That officer, identified by police as 15-year veteran William Vazquez, was protected by a bullet-proof vest, which saved his life. He and Officer Saul Rodriguez responded to a home along 109th Street and Northwest 10th Avenue, at around 3:30 a.m., Friday. According to MDPD, the officers had responded to a disturbance call.

One friend said 32-year-old Catabawa Howard had been threatening to take her life for quite some time, and her shooting the officer in the stomach was an attempt to commit suicide by cop. "She wanted to get killed," said a man who only wanted to be identified as "Derek."

He said, before the fatal police-involved shooting, Howard had offered to pay him $500 to shoot her. "She wanted me to kill her," he said. Her mother verified this earlier in the morning.

Derek instead had her admitted to a mental ward. "I took her to crisis," he said. "I left her. I made sure they put here behind the doors, and once I left, I went to her mom's house because her mom is right across the street from crisis."

A former Air Force military police officer, Howard was discharged after being diagnosed for mental issues, family members said. Just one day after Derek took her into crisis intervention, she would be shot dead. "I just saw her maybe yesterday," Derek said, "and I made sure I took her to crisis."


read more here

The other side of suicide by cop, deputy sheriff killed

When police are called because of a combat veteran in trouble, we are saddened by reading about one more veteran dying needlessly. Depending on where the veteran lives, they can be responded to by a very aware police force, or tragically not. Even when they are aware of what combat can do to people, sometimes cops don't have a choice. This is one of those times. A man said he wanted to die according to reports, with the police pulling the trigger. He got his wish but he ended the life of a deputy sheriff. While there is no link to Connors to the military there is one to Kyle Pagerly. We need to be aware of both sides of veterans facing off with police to not pass judgment on police as much as we should with the system that fails them.

The next time you read a story about another veteran killed by police on this blog, think about this story and acknowledge what the police have to go through as well as veterans.

Sheriff Shooting Suspect Left Suicide Note: Cops
Authorities say the man that shot and killed Kyle Pagerly wanted to die.
By Kelly Bayliss
Friday, Jul 1, 2011

The Berks County man that opened fire on 28-year-old deputy sheriff Kyle Pagerly resulting in the death of both men wanted to die, according to police.

Police say that Matthew Connors, 25, left a suicide note two days prior to the incident for his friends and family. Sources say that Connors wanted to die -- suicide by cop.

On Wednesday night around 8 p.m., authorities paid a visit to 43 Pine Swamp Road in Albany, Pa. to serve Connors with a warrant for burglary, criminal trespass and various other offenses.
read more here
Sheriff Shooting Suspect Left Suicide Note

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

Veteran's wife call for help ends with death of husband shot by police

Three deaths involving veterans and police may not seem like a huge problem but when you think they happened in five months in the Portland area alone, that is a clear indication there is an alarm screaming WARNING.

Three deadly encounters between vets and police
Published: Sunday, February 06, 2011
By Mike Francis, The Oregonian

Anthony McDowell. Thomas Higginbotham. Nikkolas Lookabill.

Three men who served in the military. Three encounters with law enforcement officers. Three lives ended by gunfire.

These cases, which occurred in three separate Portland-area jurisdictions within the last five months, have alarmed observers.

"It's really difficult for everyone," said Gresham Police Chief Craig Junginger, whose officers shot McDowell to death outside his house on Monday. "The United States hasn't faced this since the mid- to late-Seventies, since the Vietnam War."

"Military reintegration needs to address this issue further," John Violanti, a former criminal justice professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, wrote in an email.


McDowell, 50, had been home from war for seven years. His wife called for help, saying he was suicidal and when police arrived, he was holding a rifle. The findings from an investigation into his death, as customary in the case of officer-involved shootings, will be presented to a grand jury later this month.

His funeral service takes place at 11:30 a.m. today at Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring, to be followed by committal at Willamette National Cemetery.

Thomas Higginbotham, a Vietnam War veteran, was 67, homeless and carrying a knife when he was shot to death by Portland police officers at an abandoned car wash Jan. 2. He was intoxicated when he was killed.

Nikkolas Lookabill was 22 and had been home about four months from a mostly peaceful deployment to Iraq when he was shot to death by Vancouver police early in the morning on Sept. 7. The Clark County Prosecutor's Office reported that he told officers "he wanted them to shoot him."
read more here
Three deadly encounters between vets and police

Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies

An Army of One
Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies
By Marisa Demarco


Jonelle Ellis hasn’t done much public speaking. She's never been involved in politics. But for the last six months or so, she's helped create a bill and convinced legislators in Santa Fe to carry it

Ellis' brother, a 25-year-old Iraq War veteran, was shot and killed a year ago on Jan. 13, 2010, by Albuquerque police. Kenneth Ellis III stepped out of his car with a gun to his head in front of the 7-Eleven at Constitution and Eubank.

She'd talked to her baby brother just a few days earlier. He wanted to go to the movies. "He was telling me about his son and his life," she says. "He was very positive. It's hard to listen to them say 'suicide by cop.' ”

Jonelle, a Veterans Affairs nurse, says her brother suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and couldn't sleep because of hideous nightmares. "He was active in trying to survive mentally what he had gone through in Iraq." He was doing all the right things to get better, she adds.

The Kenneth Ellis III Act seeks to beef up crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers and emphasizes how they handle people with mental impairments. The training would be mandatory statewide for 911 personnel and police—cadets and longtime officers alike. 2010 saw a spike in the number of officer-involved shootings in Albuquerque; 14 people were shot, and nine of them died. If it’s passed, the legislation will go into effect on July 1.

Frances Crockett is a civil rights lawyer who, along with attorneys Shannon and Joe Kennedy, filed a wrongful death lawsuit for the Ellises in late May. Crockett drafted the legislation after researching other programs around the country. She spoke with the officers who teach Houston's crisis curriculum, and they said the additional education made a big difference in how the police force responds to calls. “Its been a tremendous benefit, because it provides officers with a better understanding about mental illness,” says Frank Webb, a senior officer with Houston’s training program. “It teaches them the tactics and techniques for safely handling someone in a state of crisis.”

The training in Albuquerque is "bare bones," Crockett says, so the measure aims to add on to what's already in place. Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz says the department already does more crisis education than what’s called for in the bill. Crockett says the training the bill requires would be more focused.
read more here
Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies

Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military

There was a time, not so long ago, when a veteran or his spouse would call police for help but end up regretting it. The outcome depended on how much the responding officers knew or what they just assumed. If they didn't know anything about what makes combat veterans different than your average citizen, they ended up arrested and charged instead of taken to VA hospitals. We've come a long way since then but this report showing how far we've come, also paints a picture of how far we have to go. Depending on where the veteran lives, they can be helped or harmed. I've traveled to many states over the years and whenever I can, I ask officers what they know about PTSD. Depending on the state, the answer range from they are fully involved, or they don't have a clue. Programs like this need to be replicated across the nation since all states are faced with crisis among the National Guards and Reservists. This needs to happen if far more than military towns.


This was sent by Lily at Healing Combat Trauma

Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military, PTSD
June 22, 2010 3:32 AM
HOPE HODGE
A 40-year-old New River Marine staff sergeant calls 911 on a day in late November 2007, warning police he had a gun and stood with it outside the home of his estranged wife. After hours of negotiations and a burst of gunfire, the Marine lay dead with two bullets in his chest, a tragedy that would be classified “police-assisted suicide,” or suicide by cop.

The case of Neil Manson is just one of a number of case studies law enforcement personnel reviewed during a two-day crisis negotiation class held this week at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville. Prompted by a recommendation from Jacksonville police chief Mike Yaniero, this course had a special focus on negotiations with individuals, particularly military service members, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The class included law enforcement from across the state as well as military officials, provost marshals and officials from the state and federal bureaus of investigation: 90 attendees and 130 participants total, officials said.

“We have to be better equipped to deal with these types of situations,” Yaniero said. “Giving us the tools to understand it better will help us deal with it more effectively.”
read more here
Law enforcement crisis negotiation class focuses on military

Suicidal woman, mother who called police die in shootout

Suicidal woman, mother who called police die in shootout
Story Highlights
Barbara Baker died at the scene; daughter, Penny Schwartz, 51, died at hospital
Baker had called police, said Schwartz was trying to shoot herself, police say
When officer arrived, Baker said Schwartz had said she wanted "police to shoot her"
Pair shot after Schwartz pointed gun at officer, police say

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A 75-year-old suburban Atlanta woman who called police for help died in a shootout between the policeman who responded and her suicidal daughter, police said Wednesday.

Barbara Baker of Duluth died at the scene Tuesday night, and her daughter, Penny Schwartz, 51, died overnight at a hospital, according to the Gwinnett County Police Department.
read more here
Suicidal woman, mother who called police die in shootout

Utah Police Learn 5 Words To Save A Veteran

Are You A Combat Veteran? Five words that can save a life when a veteran is in such pain they want to commit suicide by cop. How long does it take to ask that 5 word question and is the time spent asking that question worth the life of a combat veteran? You bet it is! It would be great if every police department across the country had the same training but department heads are reluctant to even listen about what they can do to save a veteran's life.
Domestic violence issues of combat veterans are usually tied to PTSD and self-medicating, but they are treated like criminals instead of wounded warriors. Police responding to a domestic violence call could prevent a veteran from going to jail if they asked this question as well. They could get them the help they need instead of locking them up for being wounded.
While this question will not save all of them, it's a good start. Even if it saves one life, the question is worth asking.


Utah VA creating movie to help police deal with combat veterans
February 6th, 2009 @ 7:05pm
By Jed Boal

There's a training video in the works, targeting a troubling trend among American combat veterans. Some who struggle with mental health issues end up in deadly standoffs with police, and the state Department of Veterans Affairs hopes the video will do something to prevent it.


Here's the scenario: A recent combat veteran walks into a convenience store with an assault rifle. He orders the clerk to call the police and kicks her out. This vet struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and wants a confrontation with police. He may even want to die in a hailstorm of police bullets.

"These folks are still in combat mode. So as a result, they are more aggressive than someone might normally be," said Terry Schow, director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs.

Last year, at least three young vets committed suicide by cop. The Utah VA is making the video to better train law enforcement for those situations and these individuals.

"As they approach a situation, hopefully one of the questions they ask is: ‘Are you a combat veteran?'" Schow said.
click link for more

Dallas Carter left suicide note before police shot him

July 23, 2008
Suicide note describes a disintegrating life
PINELLAS PARK -- As Dallas Carter prepared to die, he wrote an anguished note describing a life that had unraveled and pleading that his sons be reunited with their mother.

"By the time you get this letter, I will be gone or dead," wrote Carter.

Carter, 44, died Saturday when Pinellas Park police shot him after he turned a pistol and a rifle on them. His death ended a life that was plagued by mental and physical illness, estrangement from his family, loneliness and desperation.

His sons, Christopher, 13, and Shawn, 8, were reunited with their mother, Brenda Fecteau, on Wednesday. Fecteau, who lives in New Gloucester, Maine, was granted custody of the boys Tuesday.
-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer
Read Carter's full note
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/07/suicide-note-de.html

Vietnam Vet and Burlington Police Officer takes on PTSD

Finding the hidden wounds of war
By Bruce Coulter
Tue Jul 15, 2008, 03:45 PM EDT
Burlington -
George Devlin learned a lot about dealing with harrowing situations long before he donned the uniform of the Burlington Police Department.

While serving a 13-month tour of duty in Vietnam with the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, he saw many broken bodies. Limbs, if they were still attached, were often askew in positions unthinkable. He was also a witness to death on both sides.

As was the case with returning veterans during the Vietnam War, and as it is now with veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, many of the men and women in uniform come home fully intact – physically. But all too many came home with invisible wounds that friends and family were not able to recognize.

Whether it’s called shell shock, as it was in World War I, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as we now know it, the memories and nightmares tear at the fabric of America’s combat veterans.

One writer called it the “hidden cost of George Bush’s war.” We know it as suicide.

In December, the Department of Veterans Affairs was taken to task by Congress after Ira Katz, the VA’s chief for mental health, insisted the number of veterans attempting suicide was exaggerated by the media.

At a recent hearing by the House Veterans Committee, Congressman Robert Filner, chairman of the committee, said the VA has ignored suicide data or attempted to cover up the numbers.

The end result of the hearing doesn’t really matter if veterans don’t receive the help they need. The number of veterans committing suicide will continue to grow for the unforeseeable future.

That’s what Devlin hopes to put a stop to, including a trend, which is not unique to veterans, of what is called “suicide by cop.”

Devlin came home with his share of demons, but considers himself fortunate.

“I came from a good family and had a spiritual background,” he said recently.

Just as important, Devlin added, is that he returned home with his best friend, retired police Lt. William Faria.

click post title for more

Police Link Takes A Look At Suicide By Cop

Suicide by Cop: Why?
Definition: Suicide-by-cop is a colloquial term used to describe an incident in which a suicidal individual consciously engages in life-threatening behavior(s) to the degree that it compels a police officer to respond with deadly force. In a suicide-by-cop scenario the cop is the methodology of the suicide. If it hadn't been an officer it could have been a rope, sleeping pills, a train, a knife or a handgun. If you can't kill yourself, and you really, really, really want to die, who are you going to call?

Researchers have concluded that suicides-by-cop are surprisingly more common than initially thought, and that the number of incidents is rising. The most comprehensive study to date on the incidence of suicide-by-cop, from 1987 through 1997, found that 11 percent of officer-involved shootings were suicide-by-cop incidents. In 1997, the last year of the study, the percentage of shootings identified as suicide-by-cop jumped to 25%. One researcher, in his analysis of current available literature, has suggested that the true figure may be as high as 46%. The discrepancy in these statistics may be the result of hidden suicidal ideation by the victim of any officer involved shooting. Researchers have long suspected that single-occupant car crashes, some airplane crashes and workplace fatalities involved suicidal motivation. Engaging in criminal acts may in fact involve suicidal ideation.
go here for the rest
http://www.policelink.com/training/articles/11074-suicide-by-cop-why

Suicide by cop in Canada

Ex-soldier had pellet gun when shot by police: report
Taser used but ineffective in incident

Bruce Owen, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2007


WINNIPEG -- A man shot to death by Winnipeg police this week spent two decades with the Canadian military, but was discharged in 2004 because of anger management issues, the Winnipeg Free Press learned Wednesday.

Roy Thomas Bell, 42, was shot and killed behind a city apartment building Monday night in an incident some residents have described as "suicide by cop."

A family acquaintance told the Free Press the distraught man confronted police carrying a pellet gun that closely resembled a real firearm.

Witnesses say Mr. Bell ignored repeated demands from two officers to drop the replica pistol and, at one point, dared officers to shoot him.

Mr. Bell served more than 23 years in the 17 Wing post office at CFB Winnipeg, but was discharged three years ago when the military deemed he was unfit for active duty overseas, a family acquaintance said Wednesday.

There have been several reports of disturbing incidents involving Winnipeg soldiers recently.

In August, a Winnipeg soldier who served in Kandahar for two months last year was charged in with seriously assaulting his six-month old triplet sons.
One of the babies suffered fractured ribs, a punctured lung and contusions to his liver.
The 24-year-old soldier cannot be named because Child and Family Services has removed the children.

Another former Canadian soldier is still behind bars after allegedly trying to contact a teenage girl he was accused of sexually assaulting.
Roger Borsch, 35, made national headlines last year after becoming the first soldier to successfully use post-traumatic stress disorder as a defence.
Mr. Borsch admitted to breaking into a co-worker's home in 2004 and sexually assaulting her 13-year-old daughter at knifepoint.
He claimed his mind had been affected by horrific killings he said he witnessed a decade earlier in Bosnia.
However the not-guilty verdict was later overturned on appeal and a new trial has been ordered.

Winnipeg Free Press


go here for the rest
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=184101

More Than 1200 East Timor Veterans Now Suffering PTSD

Thursday, December 20, 2007
More Than 1200 East Timor Veterans Now Suffering PTSD



He served in Afghanistan for just six weeks, but it was enough time to see things that would haunt Andrew Paljakka long after his tour of duty ended.

He told of having witnessed an atrocity with a civilian victim, and of having to listen to the sounds of a man he had shot slowly dying.

After Captain Paljakka, 27, returned to Australia last year, he began drinking heavily and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and severe depression. In February he was admitted to a private hospital, but discharged himself.

On February 26 he was found hanging from a bootlace in a cupboard in a Kings Cross hotel room. He left a young widow.

In May, a former SAS trooper, Geffry Gregg, took his life in Perth. He was a signalman, and had been among the first SAS soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. He had been involved in a bungled mission in which 11 civilians died and many were injured in an attack by Australian troops.

Mr Gregg's family were angry that the Defence Department did not try to find out why he missed psychiatric appointments in the nine months before he killed himself. He had been suffering from post-traumatic stress, and they said he was frustrated at having to deal with three different agencies.

Attempted suicide
In August 2005, two years after being discharged from the navy after rising to the rank of lieutenant commander, David Buck, 53, a Timor veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of seeing machete-wielding mobs and hacked bodies, tried to get police to shoot him by staging a robbery at the Umina Bowling Club with a fake bomb. He hoped the police would kill him in the belief he was a terrorist.

go here for the rest
http://theorstrahyun.blogspot.com/2007/12/more-than-1200-east-timor-veterans-now.html

Do you still wonder why we have so many more?