Photo: CBS 12
The ex-wife of the man who murdered a woman and her one-year old grandson at a Royal Palm Beach Publix before committing suicide says she's "disheartened" by the comments of Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Monica Wall's statement was released through her attorney on Tuesday. In addition to expressing condolences to the family of the victims, she says Timothy Wall suffered from mental illness and that his family had made "numerous efforts to provide him with the care he needed."
The sheriff says the tragedy could have been prevented. Wall was on Facebook, writing that he wanted to kill people and children.
The man's ex-wife, in her statement, says that "Without knowledge of all the facts, the sheriff specifically mentioned" her and insinuated that she and her family should have done more to prevent the tragedy.
She claims the family asked for help and notified sheriff's deputies on numerous occasions, formally and informally, that the shooter was in need of mental health services and that he had surprisingly acquired a firearm. But the Sheriff's Office says they received a total of two calls from Wall and her ex-husband in May and June of 2019 and at no time was the man's mental stability ever mentioned.
Monica Wall also said that the "appropriate action" is to invite discussion with the Sheriff about how local agencies can work together with the community to better provide information and services for those that suffer with mental illness. In response to that, a sheriff's spokeswoman notes PBSO's Behavioral Services Unit, which includes mental health therapists and specially trained deputies who handle high-risk individuals who have or may have a mental illness.