Criminal Law
A Gunman Accused in the Richland Fred Meyer Store Will Continue Mental Health Treatment Before Trial
The gunman accused of shooting two men inside the Richland Fred Meyer store needs mental health treatment before he can be tried for murder and attempted murder.
Court proceedings against Aaron Christopher Kelly, 40, have been on hold since Feb. 23 when a judge ordered him sent to Eastern State Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, the Tri-City Herald reported.
Hospital evaluators said Kelly was not mentally competent to help in his defense, his attorney Michael Vander Sys told Superior Court Judge David Petersen on Wednesday.
Petersen signed an order to keep Kelly at the hospital until he is deemed competent. Defense attorneys and prosecutors are at odds about his medical treatment plan.
