The gunman who killed a grandmother and her 1-year-old grandson inside a Florida supermarket had been hospitalized for mental illness in the past, his ex-wife said Tuesday in her first public comments since the shooting.
Monica Wall released a lengthy statement through her attorneys Tuesday, days after ex-husband Timothy Wall shot two people and himself inside a Publix in Royal Palm Beach.
MORE ON THE PUBLIX SHOOTING
"We want to express our deepest condolences to the family that was so tragically impacted by the actions of Timothy Wall last week," the statement read. "There are no words that can adequately express the sadness and sorrow that is felt for the family of the victims."
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Authorities said the 55-year-old gunman stalked his victims in the supermarket's produce area before shooting the child and then the woman before killing himself Thursday morning.
Detectives have found no connection between Wall and the victims, whose identities haven't been released.
The sheriff's office on Monday said Wall used a pistol in the shooting but didn't say how he acquired the gun, only that he wasn't the original purchaser of the firearm.
In her statement, Monica Wall said her ex-husband had suffered from mental illness and family members had "made numerous efforts to provide him with the care he needed."
"In addition to being hospitalized for mental illness, Mr. Wall at various times attended psychological counseling. We are not aware of Mr. Wall's involvement with mental health treatment since his divorce," the statement read.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Timothy Wall had been threatening to kill people, including children, on his Facebook page but no one reported him.
"He has said, 'I want to kill people and children.' He's got friends. Obviously, they saw that. His ex-wife said that he has been acting strange. He thinks he is being followed. He's paranoid. Do you think a damn soul told us about that? No," Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference Friday. “If it sounds like I'm angry, I am."
Under Florida's so-called Red Flag Law, a law enforcement agency can seek an order from a judge to seize the firearms of anyone shown to be a danger to themselves or others and hold them for a year. That can be extended if an agency shows the person is still a danger.
"That's how this could have been prevented. If somebody would have let us know who he is, we would have contacted him, seen if he has got a gun, gotten him into mental health and you wouldn't have two people dead,” Bradshaw said. "This didn't have to happen."
Monica Wall responded to Bradshaw's comments in her statement Tuesday.
"We are disheartened by the approach that has been taken by the Sheriff of Palm Beach County during this difficult time for all parties involved. Without knowledge of all the facts, the Sheriff specifically mentioned Mr. Wall's ex-wife in a press conference and insinuated that she and her family should have done more to prevent this tragedy," the statement said. "The family asked for help and notified sheriff's deputies on numerous occasions, formally and informally, that Mr. Wall was in need of mental health services and that he had surprisingly acquired a firearm."
The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office responded to Monica Wall's statement later Tuesday.
"Respectfully, PBSO, received only two calls from Mr. and Mrs. Wall, the first, on May 27, 2019 and the second, on June 21, 2019. At no time was Timothy Wall’s mental stability ever mentioned," the statement said. "Timothy Wall’s family and friends may have been aware of his behavior and should have notified authorities, but by their own admission, the family states, that they are not aware of Mr. Wall receiving any mental health treatment since the divorce in 2019."
