Mentally ILL Man Killed by Police in Group Home

Reported in the L. A. Times, a 24 year old mentally ill man living at a Highland park group home for disabled was fatally shot by a Los Angeles police officer during a confrontation early this week.

The man holding what police described as a sharp object was shot when he allegedly attempted to stab an officer called to the home because the resident had become violent, said officer Mike Lopez. Identified by a group home worker and a relative as Fransisco Mondragon, the man died at County USC Medical Center a short time after the shooting, said authorities.

A cousin and court appointed conservator, Cristina Saucedo-Garcia, said Mondragon was an accomplished 19-year-old college student in Texas when he began suffering from schizophrenia, in recent years, authorities said. Mondragon had been in and out of mental hospitals. He had a supportive family, she said and spent Saturday with his mother and uncle attending a movie.

After he returned to Fair Oaks 3, Mondragon became loud and angry, said Solidad Buiser, a volunteer helper who was present. Mondragon said he wanted to die and threatened to kill her if she came near him. Buiser said. The coroner's office did not notify the next of kin because the body remained at the hospital, and investigators had not been assigned to the case yet.

Sources:

The L.A. Times