Friends and family will bury a Valley veteran Friday at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, one week after he was fatally shot by police.
ABC15 is learning more about 28-year-old Scott Farnsworth. His mom, Pat, says the Army veteran served in Iraq and medically retired because of severe PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
"He's so compassionate, so kind, and he's been that that way since he was a little boy," Pat said.
Family members said they tried and failed to get Scott proper medical and mental health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"They bleed red, white, and blue, and we do nothing except say, "Oh, how tragic," Pat Farnsworth said.
A VA spokesman said he could not speak about Farnsworth's care due to medical privacy. He did say the VA has many avenues for veterans needing mental health care, including counselors in the VA emergency room 24 hours a day and multiple crisis phone hotlines. Farnsworth's family says the VA needs new strategies.
"He's not the only one," Pat Farnsworth said. "There are literally thousands of soldiers warriors out there who are in his same spot."
Visitation for Scott Farnsworth is Friday 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Sonoran Skies Mortuary at 5650 E. Main Street in Mesa. The Patriot Guard Riders are expected to join the procession to the National Cemetery in north Phoenix. Burial is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
