It is not impossible that someone with schziophrenia is violent, if they are having delusions that someone is out to get them, basically, but more commonly respond by being avoidant.
However I do not believe at all, this is the case with Austin. That kind and severity of illness is too very very apparent, one cannot act normally.
There must also be deep anger and almost always a past history of violence.
These occasions are extraordinarily rare.
It is pretty much a given, from the articles that I have just read, that there is also substance abuse. Alcohol is a common factor in violence but definitely not the only one, the articles say that even with mental illness drug use is the tipping factor. In fact, it is the drug use that is the precipitating risk factor, not mental illness. In other words,it could happen to anyone on volatile drugs.
This is from several articles. I will link this one:
https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/mental-illness-and-violence
I do believe Austin was very angry at his father. I do think his father has/had a drinking problem. That public attack was definitely not ok. What were things like the rest of the time?
He might say this to him frequently for all we know.
I have wondered if this was not a root factor in Austin being into being very strong, a bodybuilder.
Roid rage, I think so.
But the totality and suddenness of the "snap" and the nature of the crime makes me think moreso now that he did take something else.
Plus I still think he & dad shared a few beers that afternoon...in that so called bonding thing.
I am going to read up some more.
And I do feel deceived. Along with failing organs, pneumonia, ICU...we were told all along he could not talk and make a statement.
With a police guard, they would know when he was moved out of ICU. Why didn't they report that?
oh, and give me a break! possible mental illness. He was in the hospital plenty long enough to have been diagnosed, along with access to his family for questioning.
Shoot, I just had a violent fantasy of kicking the lawyer in the shins for stigmatizing vulnerable people who are far more likely to be victims rather than a danger. No worries, tho. I don't want to hurt my toes. or spend a couple nights in the pokey.
Having a mental illness, I err on the side of caution these days.