Army Veteran Johnathan Guillory, of Phoenix, Arizona, beloved son, husband and father.
Johnathan Guillory was shot at his residence after a confrontation with police while suffering through a Post-Traumatic Stress episode. He later died at Chandler Regional Medical Center.
Article via azfamily.com:
MARICOPA, Ariz. — An Arizona military veteran died after a confrontation with police in his neighborhood south of Phoenix Sunday afternoon.
The widow of 32-year-old Johnathan Guillory says her husband struggled for many years with post-traumatic stress, brought on by a combat deployment in Iraq. He also spent time as a contract worker in Afghanistan.
“Sometimes he couldn’t even deal with day-to-day life. It was a struggle for him to get through each morning, but he did,” Maria Garcia told 3TV.
DPS is investigating the confrontation with Maricopa Police, which led to the deadly shooting. A spokesman would not comment on why the officers felt threatened, or whether Guillory was armed at the time.
Garcia says her husband proactively sought help for his condition.
“He saw therapists, and was on the phone constantly with suicide hotlines,” she says.
Guillory’s widow says he went to the VA hospital, where he reported he was having a mental health emergency.
“They turned him away. They told him there was no room, and that he’d have to make an appointment,” she recalls.
“I think the system failed him,” Garcia continued, “It was a huge disappointment for him to come in and have doctors say they couldn’t fit him in an emergency appointment, that they didn’t have anything, that they were totally booked up.”
The scenario is all too familiar for veteran advocates, like David Lucier, who founded the Arizona Veterans and Military Leadership Alliance.
“We see this played out over and over and over again. Here’s another example of someone not being able to get help when they need it. [The VA] just lacks capacity. It’s a big issue when it comes to folks with unseen wounds,” Lucier told 3TV.
Guillory leaves behind four children. His widow says they were his inspiration.
“He wanted to get better for his kids,” she says.
Garcia was home when her husband was shot. She says she did not know anything was wrong, and does not believe her husband had a gun.
Officers had been called to the home several times by neighbors reporting disturbances, and arrived Sunday afternoon following several 911 hang-up calls.
“I wish I could’ve done something different for him. I tried,” Garcia said, “A lot of people perceive him as a crazy guy who went off the edge, but that’s not him.”
Army Veteran Johnathan Guillory left this life on January 19, 2015. He was 32 years old.