DETROIT (WXYZ) — There's a spotlight on addressing mental illness in Detroit after a third incident of violence in two months.
On Memorial Day, an armed man experiencing a manic episode shot and killed his nephew and himself on Detroit's east side.
Video: Detroit family urges special attention to mental health after double fatal shooting
Last week, a man suffering with mental illness was shot and killed by a bailiff trying to serve an eviction on Detroit's west side.
Video: Man killed during eviction on Detroit's east side
On Monday night, another mental health crisis at a gas station led to the shooting of at least three random bystanders.
"Nothing precipitated this situation other than some type of psychotic or mental episode,” Chief James White said in a late night press conference.
White says the suspect, who is now in custody, had an episode and started shooting at random after being triggered by something.
While officers responded in two minutes, the damage was done.
Video: Four injured after man randomly fires gunshots at Detroit gas station
“We’ve been here before talking about mental health and gun violence. You know, we’re doing everything as a police department that we can,” White said.
Detroit police have already created a mental health division to help with response. White also frequently speaks with stakeholders and partners about the issue, which he has identified as a key area of focus for him.
Mental health experts like Ali Amirsadri, a board certified psychiatrist and associate chair of clinical services at Wayne State University, say addressing the issue will take more than just police to end the type of violence.
"Which is multi-disciplinary and is supported and funded and has good oversight, not looking at the short-term outcome of it but longer term,” Amirsadri said.
Amirsadri says it's important to think beyond the surface incident and look at the bigger picture, which impacts behavior and makes people more vulnerable to triggers.
"We’re talking about something which has to be proactive because reaction never works. Reaction is like a Band-Aid for the circumstance,” Amirsadri said.
Some circumstantial factors include:
- A person's upbringing
- Availability of a safe, supportive and nurturing environment
- Availability of community and safe family structure, which can reduce the levels of stress of uncertainty for the child, teenager and young adult.
- Availability of child care and school system, which can help in the development of more secure, thoughtful, skilled person when it comes to facing adversities in life, circumstances and individuals.
- Availability of weapons and other types of objects, which can be used to express violence
- Predisposing genes
- How culture impacts expression of emotions
"We will continue to see it as long as the contributing factors are there,” Amirsadri said.
He added that there also needs to be attention paid to the families from the side of perpetrator to victims, people in the area and first responders who have been exposed to the act of violence.
For first responders, the state had funded the Frontline Strong Together program through a grant to WSU for their support, prevention and treatment of mental illnesses in first responders and their family members. To learn more about the program, go to FST5.org.
