Tragedy at the Cemetery Points to Larger Issue

On Sunday a young man who has sworn to protect and serve this community faced his worst nightmare. In what should have been a quiet and peaceful cemetery on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, he faced the tragedy of a deranged middle aged woman with a loaded gun who seemed set on violence. While he is certainly justified in his action, we can be sure that he will always remember that moment with regret. It should not however, be a regret of his actions. He had no other choice and I for one, am happy that he was there, instead of an unarmed citizen who could have become yet another victim of senseless violence. The regret is how often this situation occurs and is likely to occur again.

We do not know of the history of this woman but it appears from her behavior that she was another victim of mental illness and a society that chooses to ignore the segment of the population suffering from such maladies. As a pastor I have often dealt with people who need help but the very illness they have prevents them from seeking it and society is so preoccupied with personal freedoms that it refuses to step in to intervene. Various ailments from schizophrenia to severe bipolar disorder can be treated with available medicines but very often, when in the clutch of their disorder, those in need of treatment refuse it and those who recognize the problem find themselves helpless to intervene.

The recent shootings in Illinois are illustrative of the problem. This young man appeared normal and well adjusted to fellow students. Indeed, he was, just as long as he stayed on his medication. It is likely that, as so often happens, the medication worked so well that he decided he no longer needed to take it and, perhaps due to side effects, decided he could do without them. Very often drugs of this type diminish sexual drive which a young person especially could find very frustrating. Once off the drugs his illness would have made him unable to recognize the danger and unwilling to return to his previous medicated state. Very often the illness kicks in with overly high self esteem, paranoia, and flights of fantasy. The woman in the Paradise cemetery said she was a secret agent for the President of the United States.

The problem is that even family members are helpless to do anything. It is usually only after the mentally ill person gets into trouble several times that one can expect any help from authorities. If lucky they may find themselves in a mandatory treatment program. I have witnessed these programs in Southern California, ordered by a judge after several arrests of the sick person, but have not heard of the same being available locally. More often the sick person finds themselves in prison among the general population. They may receive treatment in prison because authorities find it easier to control a medicated population, but once released they, and society, are again on their own.

There needs to be a way to have those who are most obviously affected by psychological illness to be evaluated and put on a mandatory drug program or, if needed, put into secured housing. We don’t need to return to the abuses so common in the sixties when California mental institutions were seen as a warehouse solution for those we would rather not deal with, but there needs to be a method for those who clearly are a danger to themselves and others. There are several people in this area that I worry about and the police are helpless to do anything until a crime is committed. Unfortunately it appears that this local police officer was put into such a situation on what should have been a beautiful Sunday afternoon. In his case he was trained, armed and took appropriate action. The Illinois tragedy shows what happens when the same situation occurs among unarmed civilians.

There will be an investigation of the cemetery incident. If the facts as presented hold out, then this officer should be commended for a job well done. There is no such thing as “shooting to wound” in the heat of the moment and hand guns are not so accurate as to allow such flights of fantasy. With a loaded gun pointed at him, there was no chance for other less violent reactions. Providing the investigation backs up the evident facts, the officer should be commended and I hope he stays active in the local force. We should all, however, make our voices heard concerning the mentally ill. There are people in our community who need help and we need to make that help available. We need to protect their rights but we also need to protect our citizens. In the case of someone who has lost touch with reality, acts erratically, and poises a threat; we need a means to intervene before someone else gets hurt.

In this tragedy there are two primary victims. One is the woman who was shot as she appears to have been mentally ill, and the other is the officer who was forced to use such deadly force. Other victims include the families of both, one which suffers from a loss they were unable to prevent and the other from the strain such an incident puts on the officer and those who love him. We should pray for them all and for a society that is able to respond to the needs of the mentally ill with compassion and sensible intervention.

There is one other possibility. That is that the woman did not suffer from mental illness but from the affects of illegal or abused drugs. That would make it even more of a tragedy for all involved. It should also be a wake up call for young people who are thinking of experimenting with drugs for a high. The consequences are often not at all foreseeable and very often are tragic. We can all not only pray for young people to avoid such abuse but also model for them through our own respect and avoidance of mind altering drugs, including the abuse of alcohol. Small steps in the wrong direction can lead to horrible tragedies. Practicing what we preach can help many avoid that direction all together.