PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man who shot a police officer three years ago was so impaired by mental illness that he cannot be held criminally responsible for his actions, a judge ruled.
Superior Court Judge Kristin Rodgers on Thursday ruled that Tyler Chandler, 25, was not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 2018 shooting of a Woonsocket officer, The Providence Journal reported.
Rodgers ruled that Chandler was so grossly impaired by schizophrenia, with paranoid ideations, that he was unable to understand the world around him.
Chandler will now be committed to the custody of the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals for a determination on whether his unsupervised presence in the community poses a likelihood of serious harm.
The judge will then hold a hearing to decide whether Chandler should be committed to the state for inpatient care and treatment.
Chandler faced several charges including assault with a dangerous weapon in the shooting of Woonsocket Officer Travis Young. Officers saw Chandler walking on the street with a gun in the early morning hours. They negotiated with him for two hours in a standoff in which multiple officers fired their guns and Chandler fired his, hitting Young in the leg.
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