Mental illness drove man to ram car into his family

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Norh Carolina, US | May 21

A North Carolina businessman suffering from severe mental illness left a meal with his family, got into his sport utility vehicle and then drove at high speed into the restaurant, killing his daughter and daughter-in-law and critically injuring other relatives, his pastor said Monday.

Roger Self had been treated for depression and anxiety that seemed to become more intense in the two and a half months preceding Sunday’s deadly crash, said the Rev. Austin Rammell of Venture Church in Dallas, North Carolina.

The pastor, who is a close family friend, said Self opened up about his problems about 10 weeks ago, when he asked his son to take his guns away from him.

“His family and close friends have intensely labored to try and get Roger help. We all feel a level of guilt,” the pastor said at a news conference. The pastor worried that his friend might hurt himself, but didn’t imagine he would hurt his family. Still, he said Self’s judgment had become impaired.

“It’s very possible that in his mind, he was thinking the best thing for this family was that they all go to heaven together,” he said. Self was immediately arrested outside the Surf and Turf Lodge on Sunday.

This photo provided by the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office shows Roger Self.

Jail records show he’s been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter, Katelyn Self, a deputy with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, and his daughterin-law, Amanda Self, a nurse.