A Lexington behavioral health expert believes last weekend's mass shooting at a Texas church serves to exemplify the problems associated with domestic violence.
Robert Walker is a University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Behavioral Health, who spent 25 years working in community mental health. He says the attack that killed 26 people is a severe manifestation of partner violence.
“It really needs to be understood in this country as a very serious crime. This is not to be thought of in the category of conflict within the family or disputes within the family.”
Some media accounts following the Sunday mass-shooting indicated the gunman had gone to the church looking for his mother-in-law.
While much attention has focused on the mental health of the perpetrator of the crime, Walker says it’s important to remember the vast majority of people with mental illness are in no way violent.
