Philadelphia community tries to heal from trauma as shooter’s mental health comes into focus

By CLAUDIA LAUER
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors and others say in the weeks before Kimbrady Carriker opened fire at random with an AR-15 in Philadelphia killing five people, the few people close to him saw him grow increasingly agitated and erratic. Now, in the wake of Monday’s bloodshed, officials are urging people to call police or the city’s mental health resource line when they see suspicious social media posts or think somebody might need help. And as Carriker’s possible mental health issues increasingly come into focus, the community he left shattered is trying to find ways to heal their own psychological trauma. Prosecutors have declined to speak to whether Carriker’s mental health may have played a role in the shooting.