"This has got to stop," says Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett following the weekend mass shooting in the metro Atlanta town of Hampton, GA. Scandrett lead the operation that tracked and eventually took down the suspected shooter. He says "there were some mental challenges in respect to him (the suspected shooter) and a challenging background."
Atlanta is still reeling from the mass shooting in midtown on May 3rd. Deion Patterson, apparently suffering from mental illness, was inside the lobby of a health facility when he killed Amy St. Pierre and injured 3 others. According to Scandrett, "It's very important that we raise levels of consciousness relative to mental health. It is extremely challenging to deal with, and it is a timeframe now that the discussion needs to be raised more to get the things that they need in order for them to progress accordingly."
Forty year old Andre Longmore had reportedly been suspected of having PTSD and schizophrenia but never took medication for treatment. When he was killed in a shootout with lawmen in Jonesboro Sunday, Longmore was being sought for killing a woman and 3 men the day before.
The victims are identified as Shirley Leavitt, Scott Leavitt, Ronald Jeffers, and Steve Blizzard, all in their mid-60s. Local reports indicate that Longmore did not know them. One of Scandrett's deputies was injured in the shooting with Longmore. "He's recovering well," according to the Sheriff. At least two officers from Clayton County were struck "in the vest and are recovering from severe bruising." The GBI is investigating what transpired between the officers and Longmore.
Scandrett says, "This mental health issue is a problem for us in our area and beyond. It's important that we get our hands on it and it's important that we move forward in terms of trying to get some things to resolve that and address them immediately."