Arizona Iraq Veteran Killed By Police, Turned Away from VA

Arizona veteran suffering from PTSD killed in confrontation with police 
AZ Family.com
by Jared Dillingham
Posted on January 19, 2015

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.
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