OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — To his family, like his uncle Larry Derksen, he was Joey.
"We hurt for everyone that was in Target. We hurt for the law enforcement officer who had to make that choice," said Derksen.
Derksen was the closest Joseph Jones had to a father figure.
Jones was identified as the shooter at the Target near West Center Road on Tuesday.
"With the schizophrenia, I don't know what was going through his mind. But I do know that with the ammunition he had and the kind of weapon that he had the time that he had. If he had any intention at all of really hurting someone, he could have. I just don't think he realized the trauma and hurt he created even in his actions," said Derksen.
Derksen says Jones had a history of being in and out of mental health facilities but believes the system failed him.
"Time and time again myself (and) his grandmother, trying to petition them ‘Hey he needs some help’ and they could really do is put him in the hospital for three days, give him medication. But when you are in severe mental health distress (and) when you have a diagnosis like him, it just wasn't enough for him to get clear enough to make (a) rational decision," said Derksen.
"How can you purchase a firearm, after being hospitalized repeatedly for being a paranoid Schizophrenic," he said.
Derksen says issues like lack of mental health resources, families not knowing what to do and the cost as well as the availability all contribute.
"Here you have this long history of this 32-year-old man, that has a history of being Schizophrenic and there is no help for him," he said.
Derksen is in the process of starting his own non-profit.
"No Shame the Non-Profit, the idea is early intervention. Get a warm line to have people call right when things start before they get into a position where Joey got to and then assign a navigator to that person," said Derksen.
Hoping to change the state of mental health resources in the community.
"Something has to change. We can't just let things keep going the way they are going," said Derksen.
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