The Afghan war veteran fatally shot by a Glendale police officer early Saturday morning suffered from post-traumatic-stress disorder and alcoholism, his parents told police after the shooting, and, as an Army man, he apparently wasn't fond of the Marine Corps.
According to the police report, first obtained by KPHO, 24-year-old Jeremiah Pulaski shot 33-year-old Jason Taylor -- a complete stranger -- early in he mornng morning because Taylor had mentioned that he was considering joining the military and heard the Marines were the best.
Pulaski took offense and responded by pulling out a .45-caliber handgun and shooting him in the neck in front of a bar on West Greenway Road in Glendale.
Taylor's injuries were not life-threatening.
Pulaski fled the scene on his motorcycle and tried to shoot it out with a cop before being fatally shot by a Glendale officer.
As we noted in our earlier post about Pulaski, things didn't appear to be going well for the former soldier.
was home on terminal leave with a discharge date in April.
His parents told police following the shooting that when he came home from combat, he suffered from PTSD and alcoholism.
A comment posted on out previousr post from a New Times reader who claims to have grown up with Pulaski validates his parents' claim -- and suggests he'd been having trouble adjusting to life outside of the military.
See the comment [all sic] below:
I grew up with Jeremiah Pulaski and he was a great guy.... I also was in the Army with him too.. I was stationed in Hawaii as he was in NY .. He did not get kicked out of the Army. Jeremiah did his 4 years honorably.... He went threw alot during his tour in Afghanistan and then when he came back they did not give him the help he needed... When your time is up they throw you to the curb.. The Army does not care what happens to you when you come back from war.. Your just a number to them.. Then when your time is up they send you packing. So like my self he was trying to find his place in life ie: get a job, school and try to catch up with your old buddys that you have not seen since you left for boot camp.. Jeremiah as well as my self had a hard time finding a job.. You go from having a nice income to having not a penny to your name.. So yess it is vary hard to come home and get use to the civilian life.. All I have to say is he will be missed vary much!!! May he RIP....
