Exactly what compelled alleged Fort Bragg shooter Spc. Ricky G. Elder to murder his commanding officer is still a mystery - but newly discovered Facebook posts give insight into what Elder was thinking just an hour before the shooting, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
At 2:29 p.m. on the afternoon of the shooting, Elder wrote:
"My mind in the past couple of years has folded on itself. I just went to the Dr. and they said I just tested positive for Dementia."
Elder reportedly shot and killed Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale during a Fort Bragg safety briefing at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 28.
A friend of Elder's who didn't want to be identified told the Fayetteville Observer he believed Elder suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. The Observer reports Elder's medical records don't indicate such a diagnosis. However:
The day of the shootings, Elder also posted medical records from 2007 that describe him being in an explosion while riding as a gunner in a Humvee in Iraq.
According to the records, Elder was ejected from the Humvee, hit his head and suffered a concussion. A friend who was with him died in the explosion.
