Publix shooter’s ex-wife says she warned authorities about his mental health

Palm Beach County Sheriff said murder-suicide could have been prevented with more info

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. – Palm County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw expressed outrage last week, saying that the murder-suicide at a Royal Palm Beach Publix could have been avoided if someone came forward to alert authorities about Timothy Wall.

Bradshaw said no one told his agency that Wall had mental health issues before Wall, 55 of Loxahatchee, shot dead a 69-year-old woman and her toddler grandson before taking his own life.

The shooter’s ex-wife expresses her condolences to the family that lost its loved ones, but she says her family has made numerous efforts to get Wall the help that he needed and that they did contact the sheriff’s office.

Monica Wall’s attorney Bryan M. Raymond released the following statement on her behalf:

“We are disheartened by the approach that has been taken by the Sheriff of Palm Beach County during this difficult time for all parties involved. Without knowledge of all the facts, the Sheriff specifically mentioned Mr. Wall’s Ex-Wife in a press conference and insulated that she and her family should have done more to prevent this tragedy. The family asked for help and notified Sheriff’s deputies on numerous occasions, formally and informally, that Mr. Wall was in need of Mental Health Services and that he had surprisingly acquired a firearm.”

Bradshaw specifically called out Wall’s ex-wife during a news conference Friday, a day after the killings.

“If somebody would have let us know, we wouldn’t have two people dead,” Bradshaw said. “He’s on Facebook. He has said, ‘I want to kill people and children,’” Bradshaw said. “He’s got friends. Obviously, they saw that. His ex-wife said he’s been acting strange. He thinks he’s being followed. He’s paranoid. You think a damn soul told us about that? No.”

Wall, speaking through her attorney, says she did call deputies for help and her attorney tell Local 10 News that there was an occasion where she called about his schizophrenia.

PBSO officials say the agency only received two calls back in 2019. One from Monica Wall asking to remove her husband from the home, and the second was from Wall himself in regards to his daughter. They say there were no calls placed in terms of his mental health.

Detectives believe the supermarket attack was random, and that the grandmother who was killed saved the lives of others in the store when she fought back against Wall.

SEE MONICA WALL’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW:


About the Authors
Sanela Sabovic headshot

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.

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