Mother of Georgia mass shooting suspect apologises for son’s actions and blames military PTSD
The suspect, who is now dead, is accused of shooting four people to death on Saturday in Hampton, Georgia
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The mother of a Georgia mass shooting suspect said she was “heartbroken” over his actions as she blamed PTSD from his time in the military.
The police identified 41-year-old Andre Longmore as the suspected shooter who killed four people on Saturday in Hampton, Georgia, before being killed himself.
“The suspect accused of killing 4 people in the city of Hampton is dead after a Sunday afternoon manhunt,” Henry County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement on Facebook on Sunday. Law enforcement officers were injured in the process, it added.
“I’m heartbroken,” the suspect’s mother, Lorna Dennis, told Atlanta News First. She apologised for her son’s actions, adding that the military created a “monster.”
Longmore served in the 82nd Airborne Division for six years and won several awards for his impressive performance, his mother told the outlet. An army spokesperson also told the publication that Longmore held the rank of Sergeant, and was an Automated Logistical Specialist in the Army from August 2000 to May 2006.
But after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia, Ms Dennis said. Although she tried to get him help, she told the publication, her son refused.
In the wake of the shooting, friends and coworkers of the victims created a GoFundMe fundraiser “to help a family grieving from a tragic event.”