SEATTLE — A Snohomish man jailed after a shooting at the Seattle Center was licensed to carry a pistol for more than a year, even though he now claims he is being treated for serious mental problems.
Clinton Chad Grainger, 22, is under investigation for assault after a gunshot wounded three people at the Northwest Folklife Festival on Saturday. Grainger and another man were in a scuffle when the handgun he’d been carrying in an ankle holster allegedly discharged, striking the other man in the nasal passage. The bullet then hit another man in the hand and a woman in the leg.
Police seized a 9 mm Glock 19 handgun and a 15-round magazine, according to court documents filed in a district court in King County.
After his arrest, Grainger allegedly told authorities he takes medication for anxiety and schizophrenia, as well as methadone for a drug addiction, court records said.
Generally, evidence of a serious mental health problem, such as schizophrenia, would be grounds to deny someone a concealed weapons permit, Snohomish County sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Prentiss said Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office issued Grainger a weapons permit Jan. 27, 2007, Prentiss said. The permit was valid at the time of the shooting.
Prentiss said he couldn’t discuss specifics of Grainger’s application, including whether the Snohomish man disclosed any mental health problems.
“I can say we did the appropriate checks and if something was there, we wouldn’t have issued a permit,” Prentiss said.
When people apply for a concealed gun permit they are asked to disclose serious mental health problems. The questions include whether the person at any time been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility or been acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity, Prentiss said.
The person seeking a concealed weapons permit signs a waiver allowing the sheriff’s office to learn about their mental health. State law requires authorities to conduct mandatory background checks for mental health and criminal history.
The investigation includes a check of the state Department of Social and Health Services database that contains information about people receiving mental health treatment.
If information in the state databases raises concerns, the sheriff’s office makes the appropriate decision, Prentiss said.
Although he has had past scrapes with the law, Grainger’s criminal history was not serious enough to preclude him from legally carrying a firearm. He has two misdemeanor juvenile convictions for third-degree possession of stolen property and third-degree theft.
He is being held on $350,000 bail. If he posts bond, the judge ordered him to take his medication. Prosecutors have until Thursday to file charges against him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com
Questions about gun permits?
Here are the policies the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office follows in issuing concealed weapons permits:
www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Sheriff/Information/concealed_weapons.htm
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