Online Athens
By JOE JOHNSON
October 30, 2014
A former U.S. Marine who shot and wounded an Athens-Clarke County police officer three months ago is a decorated combat veteran of the Iraq war whose post traumatic stress syndrome may have played a role in the altercation, according to a motion recently filed in Clarke County Superior Court.
Police said that on Aug. 31 James Michael Marcantonio shot the officer with his own holstered handgun during a struggle that began when the officer responded to a disturbance involving Marcantonio and a former girlfriend.
Defense attorney Edward Tolley argues in the motion that it was “evident” from an examination of the shooting by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Marcantonio “did not (intend) to harm the officer; the gun discharged during a struggle and when it went off, the struggle ended.”
Athens-Clarke County police said Marcantonio grabbed the officer’s weapon and “manipulated” it in the holster when he fired a shot that wounded the officer in the area of his hip and thigh. He was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on a police officer.
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I just saw this post and was moved by your understanding of the circumstances. It has been several years now that my son, Michael, tried 'suicide by cop' on that fateful day in August. He finally received help from the VA after he was incarcerated and on suicide watch. I have mixed feelings for law enforcement as a result. I respect and support them and understand the magnitude of their responsibility to serve the public. Our lives were changed forever because of this incident. I can still muster up the tears resulting from the pain, anguish, long-suffering endured by Michael, his son, and his siblings. I even wrote a letter to President Obama asking for help with the terms of his conviction. It has been a long road back for him. Michael is doing very well in spite of the effects of PTSD, yet it is evident that he will always bear the scars of its scourge on our veterans. It would be a blessing for my Michael if he could regain his rights to travel, to vote, to bear arms, to reduce or completely forgive his 25-year probation, to be a full-fledged dedicated United States citizen who volunteered to serve his country. Some real changes need to be made in our judiciary system. For example, sitting judges should always be bipartisan and unconcerned regarding their record of convictions prior to an election year; applicable circumstances such as suicidal attempts should be taken into consideration before sentencing, the police departments should display and consider all the evidence without mishandling or losing it and rid themselves of the unspoken 'brotherhood' of support, the police need proper and consistent training when dealing with a veteran with PTSD, recognize PTSD in Georgia as a major factor in the final decision concerning veterans who served during active wartime, enable the prison system to have a formulary that includes the proper medications to treat PTSD, and to change the fact that because a prisoner is taking meds for PTSD, he is not considered for learning modules while incarcerated like welding, obtaining a diploma, or mechanical training. In conclusion, my son believes the incident saved his life because he would have committed suicide without intervention. He is free on parole and actively employed. He never had a record before. Furthermore, he contributed to other prisoners in obtaining their diplomas, and trained many young citizens in welding and electricity while incarcerated. Thank you for your continued efforts to combat the effects of PTSD.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting that. While it must have been hard to do, it is needed by a lot of people struggling with the same kind of trauma. The best way to address all of this is to help veterans remember they are only humans and that humans get PTSD from just one exposure to trauma. Over 12 million a year join this club no one wants to belong to every year. Once they see that, it makes it a little easier for them to understand themselves. I suggest you take a look at the National Center For PTSD to learn more. Also, look at the links on the page to the left for more information. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp
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