Wednesday, January 28, 2009

I Wish I Could Blame This On Deinstitutionalization

I Wish I Could Blame This On Deinstitutionalization

But at least at this point, the evidence just isn't there. There was some history of mental problems, but at least this January 27, 2009 Portland Oregonian account doesn't suggest that it rises to the level that would have locked him up in a mental hospital, or prohibited possession of a gun:
Investigators say the 24-year-old gunman who shot nine people and then took his own life downtown Saturday night displayed troublesome behavior in high school, had attempted suicide in the past and was treated for depression at least once.

"This was somebody who had a history of emotional issues, and unfortunately decided to take others along with him," Portland Detective Division Cmdr. John Eckhart said Tuesday.

A broader picture of Erik S. Ayala's life is emerging as Portland detectives turn from potential prosecution to profiling the suspect after he was pronounced dead at Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center on Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

While a student at McNary High School in Keizer, Ayala was a "student of concern," Eckhart said. Sgt. Rich Austria said Ayala had "behavioral problems that involved local police intervention."

Detectives' brief interview with Ayala's mother at the hospital this week revealed that he had been hospitalized and on medication when he was younger for depression or other mental health problems, but he wasn't taking medication recently, Detective Mark Slater said.
The rest of the account suggests a troubled young man who decided to take his own life, went out and bought a gun for that purpose, completed all the legal requirements (slightly complex because he was not a U.S. citizen), and decided to make a splash in the news with what would otherwise have been not even a news story.

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