The law's threshold for the mentally ill examined
ALGER, Wash. -- Six people were killed and four more injured during Tuesday's shooting rampage across two northern Washington counties.
Investigators believe 28-year-old Issac Zamora was the gunman. And so does Zamora's own mother.
Dennise Zamora says she has tried for years to get help for her son to no avail.
Calling him "desperately mentally ill," Dennise said her son has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder ever since the family's home burned down 12 to 14 years ago. Those symptoms, left untreated over the years, had gravely worsened, she said.
Isaac had recently been sleeping in the woods and breaking into neighbors' homes, Dennise said. His neighbor reports having witnessed his bizarre behavior.
"I've seen him running out in the field after rabbits and I said 'what are you doing?' And he said 'I'm going to get the rabbits and I'm going to kill them. I'm going to rip the skin right off of them," said neighbor Shirley Wenrick.
"It was very apparent that he was very disturbed. The mother has tried for a long time to get them to lock him up and help him," she said.
But the laws protecting individuals' rights make it extremely difficult to lockup the mentally ill, and this protection has had deadly consequences in the past.
King County Sheriff's Deputy Rich Herzog was killed by Ron Matthews who ran naked through the streets of Newcastle. Matthews' family said he was mentally ill.
The accused shooter at the Jewish Federation in Seattle, Naveed Haq, is believed to suffer from mental illness.
James Williams, the suspect in the deadly stabbing of Shannon Harps on Capitol Hill, is believed to from suffer mental illness.
And Jon Meys, who allegedly attempt to rob customers at a Tacoma restaurant only to turn around and calmly sit down as if nothing happened, is believed to suffer from mental illness.
"We cannot do anything.The courts will not allow us to do anything because he has his rights," said Meys' stepfather, Randy Ellis.
The family members said they've tried to get Meys involuntarily committed, but it required his agreement to the commitment.
"It's insanity itself to expect someone that has mental problems to determine what's in their best interest. That's insane," said Meys' mother, Leigh Ellis.
The challenge is according to some estimates, 20 percent of the population has some sort of mental illness.
Gov. Chris Gregoire says a task force with the King County prosecutor is looking at the legal threshold of when a mentally ill person is a danger.
"To ask when you have a felony status do we still use the same criteria of danger to self, danger to others or is there a different threshold?" she said.
The task force is looking into whether that threshold is too high to the point of jeopardizing public safety. Recommendations are expected by next month.
Investigators believe 28-year-old Issac Zamora was the gunman. And so does Zamora's own mother.
Dennise Zamora says she has tried for years to get help for her son to no avail.
Calling him "desperately mentally ill," Dennise said her son has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder ever since the family's home burned down 12 to 14 years ago. Those symptoms, left untreated over the years, had gravely worsened, she said.
Isaac had recently been sleeping in the woods and breaking into neighbors' homes, Dennise said. His neighbor reports having witnessed his bizarre behavior.
"I've seen him running out in the field after rabbits and I said 'what are you doing?' And he said 'I'm going to get the rabbits and I'm going to kill them. I'm going to rip the skin right off of them," said neighbor Shirley Wenrick.
"It was very apparent that he was very disturbed. The mother has tried for a long time to get them to lock him up and help him," she said.
But the laws protecting individuals' rights make it extremely difficult to lockup the mentally ill, and this protection has had deadly consequences in the past.
King County Sheriff's Deputy Rich Herzog was killed by Ron Matthews who ran naked through the streets of Newcastle. Matthews' family said he was mentally ill.
The accused shooter at the Jewish Federation in Seattle, Naveed Haq, is believed to suffer from mental illness.
James Williams, the suspect in the deadly stabbing of Shannon Harps on Capitol Hill, is believed to from suffer mental illness.
And Jon Meys, who allegedly attempt to rob customers at a Tacoma restaurant only to turn around and calmly sit down as if nothing happened, is believed to suffer from mental illness.
"We cannot do anything.The courts will not allow us to do anything because he has his rights," said Meys' stepfather, Randy Ellis.
The family members said they've tried to get Meys involuntarily committed, but it required his agreement to the commitment.
"It's insanity itself to expect someone that has mental problems to determine what's in their best interest. That's insane," said Meys' mother, Leigh Ellis.
The challenge is according to some estimates, 20 percent of the population has some sort of mental illness.
Gov. Chris Gregoire says a task force with the King County prosecutor is looking at the legal threshold of when a mentally ill person is a danger.
"To ask when you have a felony status do we still use the same criteria of danger to self, danger to others or is there a different threshold?" she said.
The task force is looking into whether that threshold is too high to the point of jeopardizing public safety. Recommendations are expected by next month.