AZ Central
Uriel Garcia
September 25, 2017
"If we can't get the help our vets need, this (type of incident) is what it comes down to." Stephanie Hamilton
For Scott Farnsworth, serving a tour in Iraq as an Army infantry soldier was a point of pride.
But it was also the source of the 28-year-old's struggle with mental health, his wife, Stephanie Hamilton, told The Arizona Republic on Sunday.
That struggle led to a deadly encounter with police Friday night, she said, when officers fatally shot Farnsworth near Skyline High School in east Mesa as a football game was letting out.
Officers had responded to reports of Farnsworth waving a gun near Crismon Road and Southern Avenue, according to Mesa Det. Nik Rasheta.
"He was a good person," Hamilton said in a phone interview, describing Farnsworth as a family man and a veteran who loved his country. "But this is what a vet looks like when they don’t get help."
Hamilton declined to share additional details about Farnsworth's service or his mental-health. She said Farnsworth had sought help from the Phoenix VA Health Care System only to have his case fall "by the wayside."
Court records indicate Farnsworth faced assault and disorderly conduct charges in May and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted car theft in August.
"If we can't get the help our vets need, this (type of incident) is what it comes down to," Hamilton said.
The veterans hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.
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The original article this story is based on reported incorrect information. Stephanie Hamilton (she never went by Scott's last name) was his EX- wife. He was never charged with attempted car theft and the assault charge was because several men had been harassing him and his female friend. One knocked over a drink on Scott and then swung at him. Scott defended himself and his female friend. It never went to trial. Arizona is an "Open Carry" state. Scott's car had broken down that night and he was walking to a convivence store to wait for his Uber ride. While walking, Scott was jumped by four individuals. He managed to get his gun out of his backpack and dropped the backpack in the street. Scott continued walking but had to hold his gun as there was no other way to carry it! Mesa Police made contact with him near the convenience store as he was sitting on an electrical box. When they told him to drop the gun, he stood up and was moving his arm to drop the gun when the cops opened fire. They never followed the department's "Use Of Force." He was mortally wounded yet the cops wouldn't allow the paramedics to go to him until they were done training their uncertified K9 how to bite and maul (the dog grotesquely ripped open Scott's abdomen). After waiting for over 15 minutes, the paramedics were finally allowed to go to Scott, but only after the cops were done training their dog on his body. The Mesa Fire Department paramedics tried valiantly to restart Scott's heart but it wasn't to be - it was too late. Mesa Police never did any life saving measures on Scott and had to be ordered by the Mesa Fire Paramedics to help them by applying pressure to the wound in his neck. Scott leaves behind his pride and joy, his daughter who was just shy of her 2nd birthday when he was killed.
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