LA shooting suspect identified as Iraq war veteran

Ricardo Javier Tapia, an Iraq war veteran, has been held after allegedly killing one person and injuring another at his apartment complex in Los Angeles last Friday.

The 32-year-old Tapia, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and has shown irrational behavior following multiple deployments, began shooting in multiple directions, killing a man in his 70s and striking his wife. “Shouting randomly, behaving erratically,” he then went door to door in the apartment complex, banging on each with his handgun.

When officers arrived on scene, Tapia was shirtless and covered in blood. He charged at officers with his hands up, and officers tackled and restrained him. They used a Taser on him, placed him on a gurney and transported him to an area hospital.

His neighbor said is all began in her apartment, when Tapia heard a thump. “I guess that thump triggered everything else and he figured the house was under attack,” she said.

This may fit the standard narrative of the unhinged vet, but we ought to wait for more information. People often fit unsenscial things into patterns that do make sense. We and those on the scene may assume PTSD and triggers, but nothing can be certain until more information is available.