Brother of Walmart stabbing suspect speaks on previous mental health struggles

The family of Bradford Gille, the 42-year-old man accused of stabbing eleven people at a Walmart on Saturday, is shedding light on his long-standing mental health struggles. Shane Gille, Bradford's older brother, spoke about the challenges the family has faced over the years. "There is a backstory to this and it's put our family through hell," Shane said. He described a lifelong battle with mental health issues that began when Bradford had a "bad reaction to a combination of drugs" at age 15, which Shane said left him in a "permanent trip." Shane recounted the family's efforts to find long-term mental health care for Bradford, saying, "There's nothing available and there has been nothing available. There's only temporary spots for him." Bradford's mental health issues have led to numerous encounters with law enforcement across the country. Shane said, "We're trying to track him down. We got police looking for him for wellness checks." In 2016, Bradford was involved in an incident where he believed someone was buried alive at Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey and attempted to dig up a grave. Charges were dismissed, allowing him to plead not guilty due to insanity. Shane expressed the family's frustration, saying, "This is just gone on so far and so long that like I said, you can't throw any more flags." Before the Walmart incident, Bradford had been involved in other altercations, including an argument at Mackinaw Family Market where he allegedly pulled a knife, though he did not threaten anyone. Shane offered an apology to those affected by the alleged actions on Saturday, saying, "To the families that have all been involved in the witnesses and everything, again, a big apology from my heart. All I can say is we've tried to get this under wraps for a very, very long time and we've just been ignored." READ MORE: https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/it... -------------------------------- For all of your news, weather and sports needs: http://www.upnorthlive.com Like us on Facebook:   / upnorthlive   Follow us on twitter: @upnorthlive.com Download our app, available for iPhone and Android! #traversecity #localnews #news #video #upnorthlive #michigan