(June 10, 2013) The Santa Monica, California, shooter, whose rampage left four victims and the suspect dead, had a history of mental health issues that resulted in a prior hospitalization, according to media reports (“Santa Monica gunman previously hospitalized for mental health,” CNN, June 8).
The mass killing that occurred Friday spanned several parts of Santa Monica. The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old John Zawahri. Authorities say he killed his father and brother before carjacking a woman's vehicle and firing at a public bus and continuing his rampage.
Currently, California’s largest mental health facility is Twin Towers, which is actually a wing of the Los Angeles County Jail. The state has roughly 14.2 psychiatric beds per 100,000 individuals. The supply was virtually identical in 1850 at 14.1 beds for 100,000 individuals. A person with severe mental illness in California is nearly four times more likely to be in jail or prison than a psychiatric hospital.
But there is hope for residents of California. Los Angeles County has a small pilot project that allows people with a history of violence or previous hospitalizations to be required to comply with treatment as a condition of remaining in the community. The program has demonstrated a 78% reduction in incarceration. The program is not currently available in Santa Monica.
To comment, visit our Facebook page.
Visit our blog archive to read all our recent posts.